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Politics

Greene: GOP Speaker Chaos Could Bring ‘America First’ Change

By Jake Beardslee · October 25, 2023

In brief…

  • Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Republicans need to apologize for ousting Kevin McCarthy as Speaker nominee.
  • The GOP remains divided, unable to agree on a replacement Speaker after 3 weeks.
  • Greene said this could signal a "big change" toward an "America First" Republican agenda.
  • Multiple GOP Speaker nominees have failed to secure enough votes since McCarthy's removal.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stated that the ongoing Republican chaos in electing a House Speaker could lead to an "America First" shift in the GOP agenda.  Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America/Wikimedia

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said this week that the chaos engulfing the House GOP in recent weeks could signal a “big change” in the party toward a more “America First” agenda.

In an interview on Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow” on Tuesday, Greene stated that the eight House Republicans who joined Democrats on October 3rd to oust Kevin McCarthy as the party’s nominee for Speaker “need to apologize and we need to heal our conference in order to move forward.”

“So, we’re gonna have to get back in the room and see who’s willing to run and be a candidate for speaker,” Greene told host Larry Kudlow.

The GOP has been unable to rally around McCarthy’s replacement, leaving the House without a Speaker as it entered its third week. Greene pointed out that this situation is not unprecedented, noting that “Back in 1855, the Congress went two months with 133 ballots trying to elect a speaker of the House.”

“Maybe that’s what we go through again because I think – and I would argue – the GOP is going through a big change. And it needs to be an America First change. That’s what Republican voters want and that’s what the American people want, and that’s what our country needs,” Greene said.

The House Republicans nominated Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as their latest Speaker candidate on Tuesday night, after Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) withdrew just hours after initially securing the nomination. Johnson became the fourth GOP nominee since McCarthy’s removal, though none have secured enough Republican votes to win the Speaker election outright.