Former US President Donald Trump on Friday lent his support to Republican Jim Jordan, a member of the hard right, to chair the House of Representatives, after having raised the idea of temporarily occupying this position himself.
The Republican Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, was ousted Tuesday in a historic vote in Congress, the victim of fratricidal quarrels within his party after a rebellion by Trumpist elected officials.
Jim Jordan “will be a GREAT Speaker of the House and has my full and complete support,” Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
A few hours earlier, Mr. Trump had mentioned on Fox News the idea of assuming this role himself for a time.
The name of Jim Jordan, 59, known for his skepticism towards American aid to Ukraine, is among those being circulated insistently to succeed Mr. McCarthy.
Mr. Jordan was also one of the instigators of the impeachment inquiry launched against Democratic President Joe Biden, a process that angered many of his colleagues in the Republican mainstream.
Mr. Trump told the American channel Fox News on Thursday: “I was asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress.”
“If they fail to win the vote, they asked me if I would consider taking over the presidency until they find someone for the long term since I am running for president,” had -he adds.
Former Republican representative Barbara Comstock then declared on American television CNN that Mr. Trump was not eligible for this post because he was the subject of criminal charges.
“Unfortunately, he doesn’t know the rules of the House that say you can’t rule the House if you’re indicted,” Ms. Comstock said.
Mr. Trump, Republican favorite for the 2024 presidential election, must be tried starting next March in Washington. He is accused of maneuvering to try to reverse the result of the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Donald Trump, the first ex-president of the United States to be criminally charged, is also being prosecuted in Georgia for trying to manipulate the 2020 election, as well as in New York in a case of alleged accounting fraud linked to payments to buy the silence of a porn actress.
He is also due to stand trial in May 2024 in Florida, where he is accused of negligent handling of confidential documents after his departure from the White House.
Mr. Trump, along with his two sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, is also the subject of a civil trial in New York for fraud on the value of his real estate assets.