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Far-right Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida is one of former President Donald Trump's most vocal allies in Congress. Gaetz has said that Trump is the greatest president of his lifetime, and even volunteered to abdicate his congressional seat to represent Trump in his second impeachment trial.
More recently, Gaetz has endorsed the idea of appointing Trump as Speaker of the House if Republicans regain their majority in the chamber after the 2022 midterm elections.
Gaetz told the crowd at a Trump rally in Georgia earlier this month:
“Give us the ability to fire Nancy Pelosi, take back the majority, impeach Joe Biden, and I am going to nominate Donald Trump for speaker of the United States House of Representatives."
Though the Speaker of the House is the most prominent legislator in the chamber, who navigates a host of legislative rules and accounting dilemmas, the Speaker doesn't have to be an elected representative. They need only receive a majority of votes from representatives-elect in the body.
Some Trump supporters on social media have laid out a fanciful hypothetical in which Trump become Speaker, impeaches both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, and retakes the White House once the two are found guilty in their Senate trials. As Politifact notes, the plan is "legal but not plausible."
But in a recent interview with far-right disinformation outlet Real America's Voice, Trump quickly threw cold water on hopes that he'd be Nancy Pelosi's successor in 2023.
Watch below.
Trump says he is not interested in becoming Speaker of the House if Republicans retake control and he is nominated pic.twitter.com/pPKJgjtySF
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 30, 2022
The former President said of the job:
“It’s brought up all the time. It’s not something I want to do. I want to look at what’s happening and then we’re going to be doing something else. No, it’s not something I would be interested in.”
Social media users cackled at Trump's dismissal of the idea.
What else will you live for now @mattgaetz ? 🤣😂🤣😂 https://t.co/r60MeDltWR
— Ms Pitstop to You (@MsPitstopToYou) March 30, 2022
This entire schtick is hilarious on the part of the GOP loons who proposed this, the guy who barely left the executive residence before noon is going to want one of the hardest jobs in Washington where you actually have to work 😂 https://t.co/t7rlHbxk8G
— Zack (@kodkod87) March 30, 2022
Trump: “I’m gonna look at what’s happening, and then will be doing something else “
Another stupid sentence from the genius 😂😂 https://t.co/hE6S9UjdEb
— Lee card (@Leecard0) March 30, 2022
Others felt Trump wasn't up to the task in the first place.
That's because being Speaker of the House might actually require him to do some work. https://t.co/4rPE4XeXQT
— Mark Strauss (@MarkDStrauss) March 30, 2022
Trump's ego would not ever let him take a job lower than President. It is just not in his makeup. https://t.co/15XzmQ4GsE
— Charlie (@TheOldOlaf) March 30, 2022
There’s work involved. It’s boring and the office is not gilded, much less the toilet. https://t.co/9OWCtbWyMy
— Fi Urtgo (@furtogo) March 30, 2022
Of course not, he'd have to read stuff and have some kind of appreciation for rules and process. He'd need to be able to read. https://t.co/MkuXJW2HQz
— Milo - The Mole with the Mask (@milo1234) March 30, 2022
Can you imagine Trump having to be on the Hill and work on the weekends, sometimes all the way into the morning? LOL. https://t.co/ad0OI2ydnC
— Andrei Taranchenko (@andrenaleen) March 30, 2022
Understandable. Being Speaker is an actual job that would require working. https://t.co/pwlI1SkAnJ
— Khashoggi’s Ghost 🇺🇦🌻 (@UROCKlive1) March 30, 2022
But while Trump as Speaker of the House may be laughable, Republicans' prospects at retaking a congressional majority are well within the realm of possibility.