President Trump suggested Wednesday that House Republicans might help Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., become speaker of the House if Democrats refuse to support her, and said Pelosi deserves to be the next speaker.
“In all fairness, Nancy Pelosi deserves to be chosen Speaker of the House by the Democrats. If they give her a hard time, perhaps we will add some Republican votes,” Trump posted to Twitter Wednesday. “She has earned this great honor!”
[Related: Trump congratulates Pelosi on House Democratic takeover]
In all fairness, Nancy Pelosi deserves to be chosen Speaker of the House by the Democrats. If they give her a hard time, perhaps we will add some Republican votes. She has earned this great honor!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018
Trump’s proposal, however, may be in jest. Trump has made it clear that Pelosi is one of his preferred adversaries, and his message could be a sign he’s eager to have her become the next speaker so he can use her as a foil in his 2020 re-election campaign.
It’s also not clear that any House Republicans would vote for Pelosi to be the next speaker, even if doing so gives Trump the adversary he wants.
Democrats next week will start the process of choosing who will lead them in the House. Many left-leaning Democrats have said they would not supporter her, but it’s not yet clear that there’s any other viable alternative.
[Opinion: Why Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump will want to work with each other (a bit)]
