The 76-year-old former president apparently flaunted the attention, posting an irrelevant image showing him sticking his tongue out at Biden from the speaker’s chair during the annual State of the Union address.
But the two Gaetz nods were Trump’s only endorsements and the speakership crisis is being seen as another marker of his dwindling influence, as McCarthy’s endorsement on Wednesday didn’t move the dial at all.
McCarthy’s aides were still hopeful of him securing the gavel, indicating a deal bringing the so-called “Never Kevins” back into the fold could be revealed in the coming hours.
But the signs were not encouraging as 21 of McCarthy’s 221 Republican allies opposed him in every vote on Thursday – the same number as all three of Wednesday’s votes – and he can afford to lose only four.
In many cases, McCarthy’s critics lack specific objections to his policies, but instead claim that they find him unreliable, lacking in political philosophy and motivated only by a desire for power.
Meanwhile his allies fear that the party’s risky strategy of giving shop to the most extreme fringes will eventually spark a backlash among moderates.