Trump has 'zero desire' to be House Speaker, spokesperson says
- Trump's spokesperson confirmed he doesn't want to be Speaker of the House.
- Trump previously called the idea "very interesting" and said he was hearing about it "more and more."
- Trump said he has a "good relationship" with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Monday.
Donald Trump has "zero desire" to be House Speaker, his spokesperson Jason Miller told Punchbowl News on Tuesday, after the former president himself called the prospect "very interesting."
Technically, the House Speaker doesn't need to be an elected member of the lower chamber, but, since the end of his presidency, Trump has been fielding questions about whether he would run for a House seat to then serve as Speaker.
In an early June interview, Trump told conservative radio host Wayne Allen Root that the idea of becoming House Speaker was "very interesting" but that the idea of him running for Senate "might be better."
Trump was asked about being Speaker again by "Real America's Voice" host David Brody on Monday.
"Well, I've heard the talk and it's getting more and more. But it's not something that I would've considered but it is certainly - there's a lot of talk about it," Trump said. "I have a good relationship with [House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy] and hopefully we will do everything traditionally. But the election was a horrible, horrible thing for our country."
McCarthy also caused some confusion when he appeared to suggest in a Fox News interview that Trump told him he wanted to return to Washington, DC, to be Speaker of the House.
"You know, I've talked to President Trump many times, he tells me he wants to be speaker, and I think he should be president," McCarthy said.
His spokesman later clarified that Trump meant that he wanted McCarthy to be Speaker.
After leaving the White House, Trump moved to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. He is registered to vote in Florida's 21st Congressional District, which is reliably Democratic. The district, represented by Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel, backed President Joe Biden by 17 percentage points in 2020.