America has had 46 presidents. But few people probably know that the number of our nation’s speakers of the House of Representatives is only slightly higher.
Over the 234-year history of our government, just 54 people have served in that role.
Could former President Donald Trump be the 55th?
One Florida lawmaker is floating the idea.
U.S. Rep Matt Gaetz told reporters recently that he would support Trump as the next speaker if the Republicans regain control of the House in the 2022 elections.
In fact, Gaetz added that he has discussed the idea with the 45th president. When asked to elaborate, Gaetz declined. “I keep my conversations with the former president between the two of us,” Gaetz said.
Although unlikely, it’s possible Trump could serve in that role.
Much like they did not specify that House members must live in the districts they represent, America’s founders also did not require the speaker to be a member of the House.
Interviewed about this issue, Cleveland State University professor David Forte recently told NBC News that the Founding Fathers appeared to assume the House would select one of its own.
“It would have been unthinkable for the most populous house not to have its leader be part of the representatives who were elected by the people,” Forte said.
Gaetz mentioned the idea over the summer. But he is not the only one to keep it alive.
Mark Meadows, a former GOP congressman and Trump’s former chief of staff, has promoted the notion of Trump as House speaker, as has Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“I would love to see the gavel go from (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi to Donald Trump,” Meadows told former Trump adviser Steve Bannon during an interview. “You talk about melting down — people would go crazy.”
The media also has taken on the issue, mostly because other keep talking about it.
Within the past two months, NPR, CNN, Vanity Fair and The Washington Post have covered the “what-if” possibilities – mostly out of sheer terror Trump may take the GOP up on it if the Republicans are in charge on 2023.
But for his part, Trump seems to have ruled the idea out, even if he does like the troll factor.
Back in June, his spokesman, Jason Miller, told an interviewer that Trump “has zero desire to be speaker.”
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