On Friday night, Trump made calls to Matt Gaetz and Andy Biggs, both of whom had voted against McCarthy for days, and told them that the matter needed to be resolved. Ultimately on the 15th round, they both voted “present,” helping to lower the vote threshold for McCarthy.
Marjorie Taylor Greene told Breitbart News on Friday that Trump’s role was huge in the negotiations — “His statements that he put out in support of Kevin McCarthy, it was like cement for our 201 that refused to move away from Kevin. It told many of them that, ‘Look, the support is there.’ Trump telling everyone in that statement that ‘I’m calling. I’m working the phones. I’m talking with everybody.’ That was support that was needed at a critical time when members could have fallen off.”
WATCH: Newly-elected Speaker McCarthy thanks President Trump for his support.
“I do want to especially thank President Trump, and I don’t think anybody should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning.”
Congratulations, @GOPLeader! pic.twitter.com/6QLG88AM3s
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 7, 2023
McCarthy says Trump worked the phones late last night to help reach a deal.
Trump thanks McCarthy this morning…
Trump called Biggs and Gaetz during the vote…
Former President Trump placed called to both Andy Biggs and Matt Gaetz as all the drama played out on the House floor, I’m told. Both of them have changed their votes to “present” this round.
— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) January 7, 2023
It was the perfect phone call. pic.twitter.com/aRpf5pefoU
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 7, 2023
Gaetz did NOT wave off the call…
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, holds her smart phone with former US President Donald Trump on the line, as Rep. Matt Rosendale, a Republican from Montana, waves it off during a meeting of the 118th Congress in the House Chamber on Friday.#SpeakerVote pic.twitter.com/VWvOGfXd9Q
— Al Drago (@Al_Drago) January 7, 2023
Jim Jordan who will chair the Judiciary Committee in the 118th Congress and was a crucial player in these negotiations, lauded Trump for his work helping to bring about a deal. “This doesn’t get done without the support and leadership of President Trump,” he told Breitbart News.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) also acknowledged the 45th president’s role in the negotiations while speaking with reporters Friday, noting he “has played a good part in this. I want you to understand, this is a process of the members of Congress, and so this is something where the members have had a lot of time around each other to try to get comfortable, have real conversations, and get to an outcome,” he added.
Another source familiar with the matter indicated that Trump had been engaged in the process since early December, making phone calls throughout the month to whip votes and consolidate support behind McCarthy. These calls were not mere one-offs but included ongoing correspondences with many different lawmakers.
On Friday night, Trump made calls to Matt Gaetz and Andy Biggs, both of whom had voted against McCarthy for days, and told them that the matter needed to be resolved. Ultimately on the 15th round, they both voted “present,” helping to lower the vote threshold for McCarthy.
Marjorie Taylor Greene told Breitbart News on Friday that Trump’s role was huge in the negotiations — “His statements that he put out in support of Kevin McCarthy, it was like cement for our 201 that refused to move away from Kevin. It told many of them that, ‘Look, the support is there.’ Trump telling everyone in that statement that ‘I’m calling. I’m working the phones. I’m talking with everybody.’ That was support that was needed at a critical time when members could have fallen off.”
Mike Rogers and McCarthy confront Matt Gaetz
Comments are closed.