A loyal former President Donald Trump supporter, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), called on the former President to tell Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA.) to withdraw his bid for Speaker, as he had repeatedly failed to garner the votes necessary to gain the Speaker’s gavel.
Boebert made her plea while she nominated Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) for the role of Speaker as the House prepared to vote for the fifth time on who should be Speaker.
Boebert’s call was especially significant as, hours before her plea, Trump reinforced his support for McCarty when he released a public statement calling for the end to the stalemate and urging Republican lawmakers to rally behind McCarthy.
When nominating Donalds, Boebert praised the Florida Republican’s “work” and “leadership,” calling on her Republican colleagues to “work together” and “stop with the campaign smears and tactics.”
She also referenced a call Trump had with GOP lawmakers telling them to “knock it off” before asserting she believed the damage needed to be “reversed.”
Instead, the Colorado Republican insisted Trump, who she described as her “favorite President,” should tell McCarthy: “sir, you do not have the votes, and it’s time to withdraw.”
Her statement caused the lower chamber to erupt in a mixture of boos and cheers.
Trump supported McCarthy’s bid for the Speakership as far back as June last year, officially giving the California Republican his support following the November midterms.
However, his support for McCarthy came into question on Tuesday after the former House Minority Leader couldn’t get the 218 votes to become Speaker, even after three consecutive votes.
On Tuesday, in a brief call with NBC News, Trump replied, “we’ll see what happens,” when asked if McCarthy still has his endorsement.
