A No-Brainer Choice: Donald J. Trump For Speaker

Wow. That was fast. The House of Representatives for once heeded this commentator and dispatched the sad-sack Kevin “Fredo” McCarthy to the dustbin of congressional history. 

Rich irony alert: The deed was accomplished with the help of the Democratic votes to which the ex-speaker had turned in betraying conservatives who had earlier this year acquiesced in allowing him to take up the gavel.

Now it’s time to turn to “Part II” (wink-wink) of the task: identifying and installing the “’to-the-mattresses’ leader willing to do what it takes to rescue America – that is, shut down the government until Congress achieves a reasonable degree of downsizing, defunding, de-weaponizing and defending the border and our security.”

As Republican Rep. Greg Steube of Florida suggested as this submission was being prepared for publication, who better than a proven get-it-done warrior who has set the standard for bucking conventional wisdom in taking on the Washington swamp (albeit somewhat selectively in the end) and the world? 

Who has already led his party through two government shutdowns, one of them the longest in history, and hopefully learned some lessons from the experiences?

Who is, hands-down, the most popular figure in his party and owns – literally, in part – the biggest bully pulpit in politics? 

Who, although he has a decidedly less than stellar record on fiscal issues, has been at the epicenter of the core issues involved in the previous speaker’s fall: the Wall, wokeness gone-wild, and above all, judicial weaponization?

And whose election would drive the opposition and its fellow travelers in the world of radical progressivism, already suffering from advanced derangement syndrome, completely out of its mind?

You already know whom of your correspondent speaks. And there is nothing – nix, nada, zero, zip – in the Constitution of the United States that prevents the former president of the United States, one Donald J. Trump, from ascending the podium to serve as the speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

Article I, Section II, Clause 5 states only: “The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers … .” No mention whatsoever that said speaker must be a member. 

Trump, with his appeal on various issues to the entire base, would be a candidate around whom the entire Republican Caucus could rapidly close ranks without the contentious, drawn-out drama that engulfed McCarthy’s selection at the beginning of the year.

And think of the delicious possibilities of how that choice could rapidly turn a host of situations on their heads.

Consider the prospect of The Donald, as head of the Capitol Police, suddenly in charge of all the video, all the records, all the exchanges, and all the personnel involved in the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

Cogitate on the Trump band, brought back together with a new mission, setting the agenda for what legislation would be brought to the House floor and when, and what committees might investigate and when.

Wrap your head around the “artist of the deal” sitting, in the place formerly occupied by Fredo McCarthy opposite Sleepy Joe, in face-to-face negotiations over a government shutdown.

And imagine, most delectably of all, the former reality show star positioned behind Biden, in rapid cognitive decline, during the nationally televised State of the Union address. Now there would be some “mug shots” to treasure.

On the flip side, would the weight and time demands of serial prosecutions be prohibitive in choosing this colossus of recent history for the large task of leading and mobilizing a slim majority? 

One could argue just the opposite. The Justice Department would certainly face a massive dilemma in its twin harassments of the Usurper in Chief’s political nemesis #1. Would the White House’s stooges dare to continue their abuse of the courts against not just the leading presidential opposition candidate, but also the highest-ranking official in another branch of government? Continuation might well present separation-of-powers issues that could foment a constitutional crisis.

Also: would the runaway leader in Republican presidential polls be forced to abandon his campaign to return to 1600 Pennsylvania? If the most decrepit and pathetic nominee in history could successfully (with a large asterisk) run from his basement, why couldn’t a newly energized legislator do the same from one of the most visible positions in the Free (another asterisk) World? Setting the GOP’s legislative course could provide a head start in composing and promoting a reelection platform – and reboot those legendary mega-rallies with new urgency and interest.

And just maybe, The Donald would find his itch for authority sufficiently scratched by this powerful post, and cede the presidential race to a younger contender, relieving him of the daunting task of convincing a sufficient swath of the electorate to give him another shot at the top spot.

Turning now to address the gentleladies and gentlemen of the Republican Caucus of the 118th Congress: For all these reasons, it is an utter, absolute, total no-brainer to turn to the 45th president of the United States as the 56th Speaker.

As swiftly as a majority moved in in shipping the forlorn and soon-to-be-forgotten Fredo McCarthy back to the Left Coast, you should progress to drafting the most forceful figure of the current millennium to take his place.

Bob Maistros is a messaging and communications strategist, crisis specialist, and former political speechwriter. He can be reached at bob@rpmexecutive.com.