House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy wants former President Donald Trump to get a job ... just not the job the Republican California congressman would be in line for should the GOP retake the House of Representatives in 2022.
Buzz has circled around Trump potentially becoming Speaker of the House ever since Wayne Allyn Root brought the idea up to the former president during an interview published at Townhall last month:
Writes Root:
I told Trump he will become an American folk hero. His legend will grow even bigger. His brand and actions will dominate Washington politics leading into 2024. From that platform, folk hero Trump wins the presidency again in 2024 -- after first saving America from the Biden disaster.
Trump was clearly fascinated by the idea. He should be. It's a game-changer for Trump, for the GOP and for America.
The seed has been planted. I hope and pray I just changed the course of history. God bless Trump, and God bless America.
Since then, the idea clearly has been getting some traction in GOP circles.
.@mschlapp: "There's a lot of buzz out there that Donald Trump would even be potentially be...Speaker of the House if the Republicans get the majority back." [with @JohnFBachman on Newsmax: https://t.co/VlT7z8drtO] pic.twitter.com/mhzrj1cQ3f
— Newsmax (@newsmax) June 17, 2021
Asked Friday by Fox News host Brian Kilmeade about the possibility of Trump taking the job wants, McCarthy resorted to a little nervous laughter and a lot of skilled political deflection.
That nervous laugh when you're asked whether Donald Trump should take the job you're in line for ... pic.twitter.com/ak7MSkJChm
— Scott Morefield (@SKMorefield) June 19, 2021
"Would you be for President Trump becoming Speaker?" Kilmeade asked.
"You know, I’ve talked to President Trump many times," McCarthy said. "He tells me he wants to be Speaker, and I think he should be president."
I'll give it to McCarthy. That was a pretty solid answer from a skilled politician. He wants to be Speaker of the House, and he's gently telling the former president to "stay in your lane" while maintaining deference and the hope of even bigger things.
The thing is, House Speaker is much more doable for Trump than another presidential term. Root suggested in his piece that Trump "pick a winnable Republican district" (the one he lives in now is extremely blue) and run for a House seat, but that may not even be necessary. According to the U.S. Constitution, "The House of Representatives shall [choose] their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment."
Imagine, a scowling Donald Trump sitting in Pelosi's current seat behind Biden at State of the Union addresses. Sure, it would be the biggest troll job in U.S. history, but it would also be a powerful position from which Trump could hold the purse strings, foil Biden's agenda, and launch a few inquiries of his own.
Personally, I'm not a fan of another presidential run - for several reasons - but I'd be there for Trump as Speaker of the House all day, every day. Let the fireworks commence!