Donald Trump says he would be speaker for ‘short time’ until replacement found: Report

Former President Donald Trump said he would accept the role of speaker of the House on a short-term basis if asked by his fellow Republicans, according to Fox News Digital. His comments came after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was forced to vacate the chair on Tuesday.

Trump said he would accept the post to serve as a “unifier” for the party until Republicans in the House of Representatives select a permanent replacement. The statement comes after McCarthy was unexpectedly ousted by eight Republicans shortly after securing a bipartisan continuing resolution that temporarily avoided a government shutdown.

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“I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress,” Trump told Fox News on Thursday.

“If they don’t get the vote, they have asked me if I would consider taking the speakership until they get somebody longer term because I am running for president. … I’m not doing it because I want to [but] I will do it if necessary, should they not be able to make their decision.”

Trump did not specify who had asked him, but a handful of Republican lawmakers have admitted that the former president is their choice, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). Trump said that if he does become the next speaker, it would only be a 30-90 day commitment because he is focused on his presidential campaign.

Trump is leading by a significant margin for the Republican nomination for the White House.

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The former president is expected to travel to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to meet with Republican members of Congress ahead of the speaker vote. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) have announced their candidacy for the speaker’s gavel, but Trump has not thrown his support behind any candidate so far.

Trump was briefly floated as a contender for speaker in January after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) placed his vote behind Trump instead of McCarthy or Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL). Donalds has not announced any plans to run to replace McCarthy.