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URL: Donald Trump 2nd Term House Republican Talk to Him
WASHINGTON – With former President Donald Trump all but certain to win the Republican nomination to retake the White House, House Republicans are grappling with one key issue as he advances toward the nomination.
Who will deal with him if he wins a second term?
If Trump is re-elected, someone from the House Republican conference will have to serve as the former president’s liaison to the House. For some Republicans, it’s not clear who that person is.
Of course, all administrations work closely with Capitol Hill to enact their agenda, but Trump’s nominations will have a particularly significant impact, given his sometimes erratic behavior compared to his predecessors.It’s unclear who he will listen to as Republicans look to advance their priorities.. House Republicans have been in turmoil over the past few months, at times unable to come together on key legislative initiatives.
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Trump has already frustrated some Republicans on the sidelines as a candidate by derailing a bipartisan emergency spending deal that would have overhauled border and immigration policy.
A lawmaker previously slated to serve as an ambassador between the House of Representatives and President Trump has been forcibly removed from that position. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who was ousted last year, met with the former president multiple times daily during his administration and briefed him on legislation during his term. The former president sometimes delayed decisions on important legislation.
“The issue is not who speaks to President Trump. It’s who President Trump listens to and who he trusts,” said a senior House Republican on condition of anonymity. “I don’t think there’s anyone here right now who would listen the way Mr. Trump listens to Mr. McCarthy.”
With Mr. McCarthy gone, the Republican conference is grappling with who will take charge of Mr. Trump.
“That’s a good question. I don’t know,” said Rep. Ronnie Jackson (R-Texas), President Trump’s former White House physician and ally in the House. “I obviously relate to him and want to help him in any way I can.”
“Good working relationship” with Chairman Johnson
The presumed contact point between the Republican conference and President Trump is, of course, the top Republican in the House of Representatives, in this case current House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Laminated). But if Republicans lose the House in the elections, there is a good chance there will be a change in leadership, and Democrats are taking a bullish stance given the House’s dysfunction in recent months. Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the House, and Democrats would need a net gain of just four seats to gain control of the chamber.
Nevertheless, since taking over as chairman, Mr Johnson has begun to develop a relationship with the former president.
“Circumstances forced them to talk quite often, and I think that helped build their relationship,” Jackson said. A person familiar with the relationship between Johnson and Trump also described the relationship as a “good working relationship” and said the two often discuss a variety of issues.
One of Mr. McCarthy’s former top aides, Rep. Garrett Graves (R-Louisiana), said that Mr. Johnson was part of Mr. Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial in 2020, and that it was clear that both parties He pointed out that this helped build a “close relationship.” But nothing in the future is “guaranteed,” he added.
Rep. Troy Neals (R-Texas), an unabashedly pro-Trump lawmaker, expressed less concern because the former president had already established lines of communication with other members of Congress throughout his first term. Ta.
“I think there are people here who are willing to give him information.” Niels said he would “do everything possible” to bring Trump to the temperature of the House Republican conference and his priorities. Stated.
President Trump’s most ardent supporters in the House include Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Elise Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Conference and the No. 4 ranking Republican in the House. This also includes members of parliament (RN.Y.).
The number of lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have positioned themselves as President Trump’s closest allies underscores the challenge. No one knows who will lead alongside the former president.
Some lawmakers believe President Trump will choose someone himself.
“I think he’s going to anoint someone,” Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), a former Trump aide who regularly meets with the former president, told USA TODAY.
Nehls also believed that President Trump could personally select someone from the conference to serve as his liaison to the White House and the House of Representatives. As expected from the former president, Nehls told Trump that “loyalty is very, very important.”
House Republican Ambassador’s “Multi-pronged Approach”
The leader of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus could be ruled out if loyalty to the former president is non-negotiable. Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., the chairman of a loose far-right group of lawmakers, chose to support then-Florida gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis over Trump in the presidential primary, angering Trump supporters. bought.
If President Trump chooses someone from within the Republican conference to be the House Republican’s chief ambassador, one former Trump official said it would be a “multifaceted approach” that would include a variety of factors that would determine Trump’s selection. Ta.
That includes defending the president on television and making strong decisions. The official said McCarthy was “very insightful and Kevin’s advice was often correct.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a conservative firebrand lawmaker who is also one of President Trump’s most outspoken supporters, has described herself as one of the key members who can get the president’s ear. promoted.
“I’m always happy to be the president’s point person,” Greene said. “I would argue that I’m probably his strongest supporter in the House.”
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