Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) “will be a great speaker” and “will have the votes soon,” Former President Donald Trump stated before Tuesday’s House floor vote.
“I think he’s going to be confirmed sometime soon,” Trump said from a New York City courthouse. “As you know, many people have now supported him. Twenty-four hours ago, he was supporting somebody else. There seems to be great unification.”
Public support for Jordan surged among House Republicans in the hours before a vote, eclipsing the conference vote held Friday.
Breitbart News reported Monday evening that public support behind Jordan from Monday afternoon quickly increased by 14 members to 146. That number increased Tuesday morning by more than 16 members to the mid-160s.
“I think Jim Jordan will be a great speaker,” Trump reiterated. “And I think he will have the votes soon, if not today, in the next day or two. I think he’ll be a great speaker.”
Donald Trump predicts Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) will get the votes to become Speaker:
— The Recount (@therecount) October 17, 2023
“I think he's going to be confirmed sometime soon. As you know, many people have now supported him. Twenty-four hours ago, he was supporting somebody else. There seems to be great unification.” pic.twitter.com/jB8syaNLn5
The House will hold the floor vote Tuesday afternoon after a roll call vote, which could take a few hours.
Jordan needs a total of 217 votes on the House floor to become Speaker. He cannot lose more than four GOP votes to get to that number.
Jordan likely will have to wait out multiple rounds of voting to obtain the gavel, according to Breitbart News’s Bradley Jaye. In January, McCarthy got 201 votes on his first of 15 tries to win the speakership.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
