EXCLUSIVE — Another Republican congressman in the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative body that has waged war on Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s House speaker bid, told the Washington Examiner that former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of the California Republican has not shifted his opposition.
“I came here with the understanding that Congress was broken, and being here in the initial years that I had been here, it’s opened my eyes to the hows and ways that it is broken,” said Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) in an interview Wednesday morning. “From the very beginning, my efforts have been that we need to change how this place works.”
“This involves the speaker’s race, but it’s not really about the race,” added Cloud. “But ultimately, this is about changing the status quo of Washington as a swampy place that’s not run in the best interest of the people.”
GOP REP. RALPH NORMAN SAYS TRUMP’S MCCARTHY ENDORSEMENT ‘DOES NOT’ CHANGE HIS VOTE
Cloud’s remarks come under an hour before the House is set to convene and vote again on the speaker role. He is one of 20 Republican members of Congress who have voted against McCarthy’s speakership, which increasingly looks uncertain in a GOP majority.
Trump endorsed McCarthy on Wednesday morning on his Truth Social platform, noting he “will do a good job, and maybe even a GREAT JOB — JUST WATCH!”
“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!” wrote Trump.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), a Freedom Caucus member, told the Washington Examiner Wednesday morning that he is similarly unfazed by Trump’s McCarthy endorsement.
“I have not changed at all,” said Norman. “It will be interesting what happens today. We got to get a speaker that will solve our budget issues, and Kevin McCarthy has not done that in the past.”
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Another Freedom Caucus member, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), said Wednesday morning that Trump’s endorsement of the California Republican is “sad!”
Cloud, like Norman, had told the Washington Examiner that his ideal House speaker would be Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who has long been expected to lead the House Judiciary Committee.
