Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign is off to a rocky start.
His attempt to clear the field does not seem to have worked and some of his antics have many conservatives questioning whether they’ll support him a third time.
And Chuck Todd just pointed out a major issue for Donald Trump. And unfortunately for his supporters it’s spot on.
If former President Donald Trump’s role as a “Republican kingmaker” didn’t end with the 2022 Midterms, it’s certainly being put to the test in the fractious battle over who will be the next Speaker of the House.
House Republican caucus leader, and former House Minority Leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (D-CA) has not been able to secure the 218 votes he needs to secure the Speaker’s gavel thanks to 20 conservative holdouts.
Some of those 20 holdouts have shown a willingness to negotiate, as they’ve hoped they could force Rep. McCarthy to agree to limit the power of the Speaker – and ruling class as a whole – but a handful also seem unwilling to allow him to become Speaker under any circumstances.
The former President attempted to push McCarthy across the finish line by publicly calling out the conservative holdouts and personally calling at least some of the holdouts to tell them to “cut it off.”
“Some really good conversations took place last night, and it’s now time for all of our GREAT Republican House Members to VOTE FOR KEVIN, CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY, & WATCH CRAZY NANCY PELOSI FLY BACK HOME TO A VERY BROKEN CALIFORNIA,THE ONLY SPEAKER IN U.S. HISTORY TO HAVE LOST THE “HOUSE” TWICE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
But none of Trump’s efforts seemed to have any impact whatsoever on any of the holdouts, even though most have been amongst his most loyal supporters.
In fact, after Trump made his efforts, one his closest allies in the House, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who happens to be one of the holdouts’ ringleaders, defied the former President by actually nominating him for Speaker over Rep. McCarthy on the floor of the House.
Of course, the fact that Trump’s sway over Republicans, especially those who have never wavered in their support of him, didn’t escape the attention of the corporate-controlled media.
NBC News’ Chuck Todd was quick to point out that Trump’s endorsement of Rep. McCarthy resulted in “not a single new vote.”
Trump was not able to get the Republicans to fall in line behind McCarthy, who previously stabbed Trump in the back.
“The only thing [McCarthy] can do is not seek the Speakership,” Todd explained. “That’s the only thing these folks want at this point. I talked to one Committee Chair – they said we don’t need a politician. We need a therapist. They are all personal grievances. These are arguably — you have 20 people with 17 different asks. He has done the big stuff. At this point, there’s nothing left other than stepping aside himself. That would then hand them the ultimate leverage.”
“Donald Trump, once again, was very helpful to Kevin McCarthy to the point of it got him not a single new vote,” he continued. “It is kind of a reminder because we have been chronicling how much power he has been losing inside the Party. This is why Trump had been quiet for a while, for fear his voice doesn’t matter. I think we just found out, at least when it comes to getting McCarthy over the finish line. He could maybe end McCarthy if he wanted to, but he couldn’t crown him.”
Even with Donalld Trump’s endorsement, Kevin McCarthy was not able to get any traction.
