Jan 5, 2023 - Politics & Policy

Matt Gaetz votes for Trump for speaker

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) added a new name to the House speaker fight on Thursday, voting for former President Trump on the 7th ballot.

Why it matters: This is a break from the unified faction of 20 House Republicans who'd been voting for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Florida) and blocking GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy from winning the speakership.

  • Nothing in the Constitution requires the speaker to be a sitting member of Congress, though that has been the case throughout U.S history.
  • Trump himself has endorsed McCarthy for speaker and has been unable to sway the GOP rebels, many of who consider themselves the former president's biggest supporters.
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