Trump urges Republicans to elect Kevin McCarthy as speaker

Donald Trump played a round at his Palm Beach golf course on Wednesday after standing behind Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.

The former president donned his red MAGA hat and white shirt in photos taken by DailyMail.com hours after he called on Republicans to unite behind the nominee and end voting in the House of Representatives.

Trump was a longtime McCarthy ally and called Republicans overnight to try to rally support after 20 Republican saboteurs thwarted his attempt to take the gavel from Nancy Pelosi.

“We had some really good talks last night and now it’s time for all of our AMAZING Republican House Representatives to VOTE FOR KEVIN, GET THE DEAL, TAKE THE WIN,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday morning.

“REPUBLICANS, DON’T TURN A MAJOR TRIUMPH INTO A HUGE & EMBARRASSING DEFEAT,” he continued in capital letters. “IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE, YOU DESERVE IT.”

“Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, and maybe even a GREAT JOB – JUST WATCH IT!”

Donald Trump played a round at his Palm Beach golf course on Wednesday after standing behind Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House

The former president donned his red MAGA hat and white shirt in photos taken by DailyMail.com hours after he called on Republicans to unite behind the nominee and end voting in the House of Representatives

The former president urged Republicans not to turn their victory over the House of Representatives into an “embarrassing defeat” in the 2022 midterm elections.

Republicans met in the morning to reach an agreement between McCarthy and the 20 dissidents – dubbed the “Taliban 20” by Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska – and the House of Representatives will meet again at noon to discuss efforts to elect a new House Speaker.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, one of the lawmakers speaking out against McCarthy, said Trump’s support was “sad.”

“It doesn’t change my view of McCarthy or Trump or my vote,” he told DailyMail.com.

Texas Rep. Chip Roy, who defected to McCarthy, was far more outspoken about criticism of the Never Kevin coalition. In a radio interview Wednesday morning, Roy slammed former spokesman Newt Gingrich, who criticized the impasse. “I don’t have time to listen to fossils… to sit on Fox News.”

A senior Republican source in the House of Representatives told DailyMail.com that Trump’s post was “definitely helpful,” but it’s still unclear if he did anything to get the needle moving to “Never Kevin” lawmakers.

Gaetz tweeted Monday that “supporting McCarthy is the worst personnel decision President Trump has ever made.”

Trump looks on after playing a shot. Republican dissenters have stood firm against McCarthy despite the ex-president’s rally cry

Trump called Republicans overnight to try to rally support for McCarthy after Tuesday’s three failed speaker votes

Trump prepares a putt at his Palm Beach golf course while Congress remains in limbo with no speaker

Comes after McCarthy failed three times on Tuesday to collect the votes his caucus needs to become the next Speaker of the House

Donald Trump met with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in Mar-a-Lago in late January 2021, just days after the former president left the White House

The ex-president, who announced a 2024 White House run in mid-November, also boasted he’s received a barrage of calls from lawmakers hoping to get his approval.

“Everyone calls me and wants my support,” Trump said. “But let’s see what happens and we’ll go – I’ve called everyone who wants my support. That’s all I can say. But we’ll see what happens. We will see how everything develops.”

Trump asked Republicans to take their “fight” to Republican Senate Chairman Mitch McConnell and his wife Elaine Chao, the president’s former Secretary of Transportation.

He also apologized for supporting McConnell and helping him win another term in the 2020 election cycle.

“If Republicans want to fight, we should fight Mitch McConnell and his domineering, China-loving BOSS, I mean wife, Coco Chow,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, which included a racist nickname for his former cabinet official.

“The damage they have done to the Republican Party is incalculable,” the ex-president added. ‘Today he couldn’t be voted ‘Dog Catcher’ in Kentucky (unfortunately he only won because of my confirmation, up 21 points – SORRY!).’

The Republicans’ first day in the House of Representatives did not go as planned.

McCarthy lost three ballots for speaker due to opposition from a growing group of conservative rebels — although House Freedom Caucus Vice Chairman Jim Jordan strongly supported the California Republican.

Instead, 20 House Republicans scuttled McCarthy’s bid by throwing their support behind Rep. Jordan, who has repeatedly said he doesn’t want the gavel.

The House adjourned after the third vote and will meet again on Wednesday at 12 noon.

Tuesday’s failed bid marked the first time in 100 years that no speaker was chosen in the opening vote.

On the first and second votes for speaker, 19 Republicans voted against McCarthy for other candidates. In the third ballot, McCarthy’s hopes for first place in the House of Representatives dwindled even further as at least one more Republican voted against him.

When his name was called for a vote, Florida GOP Representative Byron Donalds dropped McCarthy to join Conservatives who supported Jordan.

He said afterwards that McCarthy just doesn’t have the voices to be a speaker.

Trump urged Republicans to “take victory and watch mad Nancy Pelosi fly back home to a very broken California.” As the second day of the 118th Congress begins, it is still unclear who will take the gavel from outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi