Speaker race: Trump and Tom Emmer had a ‘productive call’ on Saturday

Former President Donald Trump and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) spoke on Saturday as opponents of the Minnesota Republican’s speaker bid push a narrative that the former president is against him getting the gavel.

The call could be a turning point in the speaker’s race as one of the main knocks on Emmer from those in Trump’s orbit has been that he is “anti-Trump.” Two sources familiar with Emmer’s call with Trump described it as “productive” but didn’t delve into specific details of the call.

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Even before Emmer announced he was running for speaker, several people close to Trump have been saying that the former president does not want the Minnesota Republican to become speaker.

One source close to Trumpworld told the Washington Examiner on Friday that the former president would “unleash hell” on Emmer if he sought the speakership. “He is anti-Trump, and Trump orbit will not let him hold the speaker gavel.”

But one Emmer ally pointed out that those saying the whip is “anti-Trump” have yet to produce facts or specific instances where he was anti-Trump.

“This stems from a false narrative created by allies of Jim Banks in the whip race,” the Emmer ally said. “Emmer and allies have been in touch with MAGA-world all weekend. Emmer was one of [the] first members to endorse Trump in 2016. He endorsed Trump in 2020; he has said he will endorse [the] GOP nominee this cycle.”

There have also been a number of instances where Emmer has praised the former president.

During the midterm elections in 2022, Emmer, who at the time was the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, praised Trump for his role in helping Republicans win back the majority.

“President Trump has been a tremendous partner in our efforts to fire Nancy Pelosi, and we are very pleased to see him making investments in the midterms,” Emmer told Breitbart in September 2022. “The American people are fed up with Joe Biden and Democrats’ record of rising prices, lawless cities, and a southern border that has been completely overrun by drug cartels.”

Also, in September of 2022, Emmer referred to Trump as a “fantastic ally” for House Republicans in an interview on Fox News Sunday.

One member close to Trump, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), spoke positively of Emmer on his podcast Firebrand on Monday. Gaetz, who led the charge to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the speakership, said that Emmer is viewed positively by “our more moderate members to our more conservative members” and is viewed as a “truth teller.”

“Tom Emmer is one of the few members of leadership who doesn’t lie to the membership,” Gaetz said on the podcast.

But he did mention there is a “Trump factor” with Emmer. Back when he was running for majority whip, Trump put out a statement against the Minnesota Republican and endorsed Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) for the role.

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However, following Emmer’s conversation with Trump on Saturday, Gaetz said, “We’ll see if there are other comments from President Trump about a Tom.”

But Trump is unlikely to get involved in the speaker’s race, telling reporters on Monday that he is trying to “stay out of it as much as possible.”