Matt Gaetz Throws Curveball, Votes For Donald Trump as Speaker of the House in the Seventh Round of Voting

As the seventh round of voting for the Speaker of the House is underway, U.S. House Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL), threw a curveball and voted for former President Donald Trump as Speaker.

BREAKING: Matt Gaetz has just voted for President Trump as Speaker of the House

— Rogan O’Handley (@DC_Draino) January 5, 2023

Gaetz recently told Fox News Digital in a statement that Trump’s support of U.S. House Rep Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was “Sad!”

“This changes neither my view of McCarthy, nor Trump, nor my vote,” Gaetz added at the time.

Trump weighed in on the Speaker process in a Truth Social post last night where he said, “I actually think that a big Republican VICTORY today, after going through numerous Roll Calls that failed to produce a Speaker of the House, has made the position & process of getting to be Speaker BIGGER & MORE IMPORTANT than if it were done in the more traditional way, much like me again becoming President after having won big in 2016, gotten many Millions of MORE VOTES in 2020 but ‘supposedly’ not winning (BIG LIE!), & then winning again in 2024. It will be BIGGER than the traditional way!”

Trump has remained mostly steadfast in his support of McCarthy for Speaker, although it appears that he once again doesn’t have the votes to be elected.

U.S. House Rep Byron Donalds (R-FL) is the other Republican nominee for a fourth time and he has received the same number of votes otherwise thus far as the previous rounds where he was nominated, other than Gaetz’s switch.

U.S. House Rep Victoria Spartz (R-IN) continues to vote “present” as she did for the first time in the fourth round.

U.S. House Rep Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was nominated by the Democrats and his total has remained the same thus far as the previous six rounds.