Could Trump become president? your questions answered

Three days, 11 rounds of voting, and countless popcorn emojis later, and the vote to determine the next Speaker of the House is still nowhere near a result.

Now this centuries-old legislative procedure is suddenly must-see television. How long can you go on? Who will challenge Kevin McCarthy next?

Here are our answers to some of the internet’s most pressing questions.

Votes were not voted Thursday for Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, or for any other member of Congress, but for Donald Trump, the former president of the United States.

Trump has endorsed McCarthy for president. But that didn’t stop Florida maverick congressman Matt Gaetz from casting his token vote in protest of the former president. This left many wondering… can they even do that?

Technically yes. The Spokesperson can be any person in the United States.

However, it is highly unlikely. It has never happened before that anyone other than a sitting member of the House was voted in as president. Still, Trump was nowhere near the 218 votes he would need to win.

McCarthy has made history, but for all the wrong reasons. For the first time in a century, someone vying for House speaker has not won in the first round of voting.

It was in 1923 that Frederick Gillet was elected to office after several days and nine ballots. The longest deadlock before that was resolved in 1860 after 44 rounds of voting.

But the all-time record was in the 1855-56 election, which is commonly considered the most contentious orators’ matchup in American history.

On that occasion, it took 133 votes over the course of two months until Nathaniel Banks became Speaker of the House in the 34th Congress.

Donalds and his Democratic counterpart Hakeem Jeffries made history this week by becoming the first black members of Congress to be nominated for the post of president.

Donalds is a Trump supporter, a staunch opponent of abortion and a strident advocate of gun ownership.

The father of three, who was raised by a single mother, has previously spoken about how his life changed after a drug arrest when he was young.

The 44-year-old congressman, who has served two years in the House, voted against certifying Joe Biden’s 2021 presidential victory.

No business can be undertaken within the House, not even the swearing in of new members of Congress, until a Speaker has been chosen.

Since McCarthy failed to get a majority, members must keep voting until a winner emerges.

McCarthy has vowed to keep fighting even if he doesn’t win right away.

And there is no other obvious candidate who can viably compete for the House presidency; thus far, no Republican challenger has gotten more than 20 votes.

Matt Gaetz has been one of the main forces behind the effort to block McCarthy. Like many of the 20 holdout Republicans, some of his objections are political.

The Florida congressman has called for concessions on the way the House of Representatives operates, reportedly lobbied for a chair on the powerful House Armed Services Committee and called for a well-funded special panel to investigate the FBI and other government agencies.

With Gaetz, however, the objections to McCarthy seem personal. He has harshly condemned the California congressman for already moving into the Speaker’s office, calling him a “squatter” and calling him “the biggest alligator” in the Washington swamp.

Part of Gaetz’s animosity toward the House Republican leader could stem from his feelings that McCarthy did not defend him enough when he was the subject of a House ethics investigation and a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations. an investigation that was abandoned. last year.

Ms. Johnson, the 117th Secretary of the US House of Representatives to have led these proceedings, has become an unlikely celebrity in the political drama paralyzing the House. In the House this week, some members of the House accidentally called her Madam Speaker, instead of Madam Secretary.

Ms. Johnson, a New Orleans native with a law degree, was first appointed secretary in 2018 by former President Nancy Pelosi. The nomination followed two decades in the House, working as an aide to both Democrats and Republicans.

The little-known position is chosen by lawmakers every two years when the House convenes for a new Congress. The job is primarily administrative, with duties such as certifying the passage of all bills and resolutions of the chamber.

There are also historic moments: Johnson was twice tasked with hand-delivering articles of impeachment against Trump.

Used effectively, the Speaker of the House position is one of the most powerful in Washington.

Depending on the partisan makeup of Congress, the Speaker can make or break a US President’s agenda, stymie the opposition, and spearhead his party’s most important legislative initiatives.

The Speaker is traditionally and historically a sitting member of the majority party in the House. But this is not a constitutional requirement.

The Speaker has almost complete control over the camera. They set the House’s legislative agenda, control committee assignments, set the voting and work schedule, and are responsible for holding their party members together behind major initiatives.

The Speaker of the House is elected by a simple majority of the voting members of the House. In this case, that means the Speaker must get 218 votes, or half (plus one) of the 435 elected members of the House.

Although the House has had electronic voting since 1973, voting for the President is traditionally done by roll call. Each representative is called by his name and they say out loud who they vote for. The House Clerk then counts the votes.

Technically, you only need the support of half of the elected members who vote for a candidate by name to be successful. What this means is that a Speaker could be elected with less than half of the total membership if some of them do not show up to vote or abstain (calling “present”, instead of a candidate’s name).

A few Republicans have voted “present” so far, making it a little easier for McCarthy to win a majority, but not enough to make a real difference.