Despite Trump’s intervention, Kevin McCarthy started losing fourth speaker votes

Kevin McCarthy was set to lose the fourth ballot in a wobbly bid to become Speaker of the House after 11 hours of intervention from Donald Trump failed to end the stalemate.

At least 11 Republicans voted against McCarthy in the fourth ballot on Wednesday afternoon, making it mathematically impossible for McCarthy to secure the votes needed to win the gavel on the fourth ballot. became.

After being nominated by Republican Congressman Chip Roy of Texas, the rebels sided with Byron Donald of Florida.

The vote came even after Trump tried to unite the party behind McCarthy, posting on his Truth social platform:

McCarthy made history Tuesday, becoming the first majority leader to lose the first vote in 100 years.

McCarthy also failed to secure the required simple majority on Tuesday’s second and third rounds of the vote. I hurried to win the seat of parliament.

Democratic President Joe Biden Wednesday morning called the House minutes “a little embarrassing”, adding, “How do you think this will look to the rest of the world?”

“This doesn’t look good. It’s not good,” Biden told reporters at the White House. “This is the United States of America and I hope they get their act together.”

McCarthy’s opponents came from various factions of the party, including Trump supporters such as Matt Gates of Florida and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, and ultra-professionals such as Chip Roy of Texas and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania. Conservatives included. It’s easier to cast a no-confidence vote on a future chairman.

Tuesday’s failed vote resulted in a historic moment of stalemate in Washington, as the House is constitutionally required to elect a speaker and cannot begin to govern until one is elected.

The stalemate also highlights long-simmering tensions within the Republican Party. midterm electionsDespite anticipation of a “red wave,” the Republicans won a razor majority in the lower house of Congress, the House, and failed to regain control of the Senate, the Senate.

Many Republicans in Washington have blamed Trump for these failures. He played a key role in the primaries, pushing for his favorite candidates — many of whom were later eliminated at the ballot box. I’ve been 2024 presidential electionThe former president launched his third presidential run just days after the midterm elections, but so far no other candidate has entered the ring to challenge him.

“Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, and maybe do a great job — let’s see!” Trump posted Wednesday morning.

Trump’s endorsement of McCarthy marked the beginning of a new roller coaster relationship between the two. Over the years, Trump frequently referred to Congressman as “my Kevin.” But McCarthy said, “I was with this guy,” after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, and was pictured with Trump at his Mara Lago resort weeks later. smiled.