Hours after Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) won the GOP nomination for House speaker on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump labeled him as “totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters” and a “Globalist RINO” on his social media platform Truth Social.
By Tuesday afternoon, Emmer dropped out of the race minutes after Trump made a few phone calls to members expressing his distaste toward the nominee.
Emmer’s withdrawal made him the third nominee for speaker who was forced to withdraw, following Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana).
Trump shared last week that he did not support Emmer’s bid for the speakership due to Emmer’s criticism of him after the January 6 Capitol riot and his refusal to back publicly in his range of indictments.
On Monday, in an appearance at the New Hampshire State House, Trump was asked if he would support Emmer’s run.
“He’s my biggest fan because he called me yesterday and told me, ‘I’m your biggest fan,'” Trump said. “We’re looking at a lot of people, and I’m trying to stay out of that as much as possible. But they’ll get it straightened out. No, I’ve always gotten along with him, and I get along with all of them. A lot of good people.”
Moments after, Emmer swiftly posted a video of Trump’s comment on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, saying, “Thank you, Mr. President. If my colleagues elect me Speaker of the House, I look forward to continuing our strong working relationship.”
Trump reportedly believes Emmer intentionally took his comment out of context, making it appear as if they were closer than they are.
