To be fair, this was not Trump’s brightest moment but maybe his biggest failure since 2022 midterm elections choices. Despite that, he remains by far the most popular presidential nominee and with good reason.
In a significant political development, on Friday, September 20th, Republicans finally decided to drop Rep. Jim Jordan from contention for the House Speaker position. After he failed to secure enough support on the third ballot, it was obvious to everyone he was unelectable. This decision came after Jordan, a close ally of Donald Trump, experienced a steep decline in his bid for the Speaker’s role. Jordan acknowledged the need for Republicans to unify and select a Speaker, and he pledged his support to the chosen candidate. Trump’s reaction was a bit different:
The House has been grappling with a leadership vacuum since the removal of Kevin McCarthy due to a rebellion by right-wing hard-liners. The ongoing inability to elect a new Speaker has led to one of Washington’s most significant institutional crises in decades. With a narrow Republican majority, any defections on party-line votes are problematic, making the Speaker’s selection crucial.
Apart from Jordan, Steve Scalise, the No. 2 Republican, also failed to garner sufficient support. Now, the Republicans plan to start anew, with candidates presenting their cases on Monday and a possible vote on Tuesday. This impasse has left the House effectively paralyzed, affecting the government’s ability to address pressing issues, including a national security package and government funding set to expire soon. The deepening divisions within Republicans and the war-mongering of the Democrats add to the crisis’s severity, which continues to hinder legislative progress and disrupt the functioning of Congress.
