Could Donald Trump really become next speaker of the House?

Nine speaker votes later… not much has changed inside the chambers of the House of Representatives.

Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is still fighting for his chance to become Speaker of the House despite losing the vote eight consecutive times.

A group of 20 lawmakers is opposing McCarthy and nominating other potential speakers like Byron Donalds (R-FL), Kevin Hern (R-OK), and Jim Jordan (R-OH).

But most surprising was when Florida Representative Matt Gaetz nominated former president Donald Trump for Speaker of the House.

Thursday afternoon, Gaetz stood up before his colleagues during the seventh vote to announce his nomination.

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“Donald John Trump,” Gaetz said.

Gaetz’s decision to nominate the former president was met with laughter, and confusion, by the public

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But it raised the question, if Trump got all 218 votes, could he really be Speaker of the House?

The short answer: well, yeah.

No rule in the US Constitution explicitly requires the Speaker of the House to be part of the House, only that the representatives choose their speaker.

“The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers,” Article I of the Constitution says.

But that doesn't mean lawmakers will just choose from anybody.

So far, in the 233 years of Congress, not one Speaker of the House has been nominated and voted in from outside the House.

So, theoretically, yes Trump could become Speaker of the House, who is also second in line in order of presidential succession. But if he were to be taken seriously he would still face the same problem as McCarthy: obtaining 218 votes.

Gaetz was the sole representative to vote for Trump during the seventh and eighth votes but during the ninth, he lent his vote to Hern.

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