House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), the new GOP nominee for speaker, got hit by a Truth Social post as he worked to flip Republican holdouts who oppose his bid.
Former President Donald Trump took to his social media platform on Tuesday to criticize Emmer as a “RINO” — or Republican in name only — after a House GOP conference vote showed roughly two dozen members opposed Emmer ascending to the speakership despite winning the party’s the nomination.
“I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors. RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them. He never respected the Power of a Trump Endorsement, or the breadth and scope of MAGA—MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump said in his post to Truth Social.
Trump, the GOP frontrunner in the 2024 presidential race, claimed Emmer “fought me all the way” and is “totally out-of-touch” with Republican voters. Emmer was one of two GOP candidates in the running this time around who voted to certify the results of the 2020 election.
“I believe he has now learned his lesson, because he is saying that he is Pro-Trump all the way, but who can ever be sure? Has he only changed because that’s what it takes to win? The Republican Party cannot take that chance, because that’s not where the America First Voters are,” Trump added. “Voting for a Globalist RINO like Tom Emmer would be a tragic mistake!”
Emmer won the GOP nomination on Tuesday, beating out Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) in the fifth ballot 117-97 and since then has reportedly been working to get Republican holdouts to support him. One of them is Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), who lost to Emmer for the majority whip role. Because Republicans have a narrow majority in the House, Emmer can only afford to lose a handful of GOP votes if all Democrats oppose his bid.
Trump previously endorsed Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) for speaker. Jordan won the second GOP nomination after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) dropped out, but Jordan lost the nomination last week after he failed to clinch the speaker’s gavel with a majority in three House floor votes.
Reporters asked Trump on Monday about the speaker race. He declined to endorse Emmer but did opine that the Minnesota Republican was “my biggest fan now because he called me yesterday and told me, ‘I’m your biggest fan.'” Trump also said he was “trying to stay out” of the speaker’s race and said he got along with Emmer.
Emmer responded to a clip of those remarks. In a post to X, Emmer said, “Thank you, Mr. President. If my colleagues elect me Speaker of the House, I look forward to continuing our strong working relationship.”
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