McCarthy Concessions A Dud As Donalds — And Trump? — Get House Speaker Votes

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has yet to secure the necessary 218 votes needed to become Speaker of the House of Representatives.

After seven failed ballot initiatives, McCarthy reportedly made new concessions to win over his detractors — and it didn't work.

Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida continues to gain support among fellow Republicans, with at least one House member voting for former U.S. President Donald Trump, leaving McCarthy with 201 votes. Read on to learn more.

See Also: Benzinga Poll Unveils How US Favors Biden Vs. Trump Vs. DeSantis — How Opinions Shifted Since 2020

Here's what we know about the concessions:

• Calls To Oust The Speaker: McCarthy is believed to have agreed to make just one member to call a vote to oust the speaker. Previously, there needed to be five.
• House Freedom Caucus: This congressional caucus is considered to be the farthest-right bloc within the House Republican Conference. It was initially formed in January 2015 and many of its current members were the holdouts who prevented McCarthy from gaining enough votes in the previous six voting sessions. McCarthy agreed to give them two seats on the powerful House Rules committee, which oversees the amendment process.
• Border Security: Another McCarthy offer includes voting on a controversial border plan. This concession comes as the Trump-era Title 42 gets extended by the Supreme Court. Republicans have challenged ending the policy, which has been used to expel over 2 million people at the border since 2020. Thousands of migrants are currently seeking asylum in Mexico over fears the U.S. would keep Title 42 in place. Also, President Joe Biden is planning a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border next week — his first visit to the border since taking office. 
• Term Limit Requirements: McCarthy is also considering a bill imposing term limits on members of Congress since certain members voting against him have previously pushed for legislation that limits House members to three terms and senators to two terms.

McCarthy’s offers were expected to attract new support but not the 218 votes he needs to be speaker, CNN reported citing Republican sources.

Among McCarthy's far-right opponents who created the current stalemate, include Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Matt Gaetz of Florida; Bob Good of Virginia; Dan Bishop of North Carolina; Chip Roy of Texas; and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who has accused McCarthy of leaking information.

"I will not yield to the status quo," Perry tweeted Thursday.

Ahead of the eighth voting session, Biggs called it "healthy" for Americans to see the debate on the House floor, and to maintain the "status quo" was "not an option."

"The person I think is most capable and most credible" is Donalds, he added.

A House Divided

Republican Victoria Spartz, who originally backed McCarthy, has been voting ‘present’ ever since the fourth round of voting.

Donalds received 20 Republican votes in two voting sessions on Jan. 4. On Jan. 5, he tallied 19 during the seventh voting session and 17 during the eighth.

Democratic Rep-elect Cori Bush of Missouri called Donalds a "prop" after GOP lawmakers nominated him to be speaker on Wednesday.

Bishop called the comment "racist rhetoric" in his opening statement nominating Donalds for speaker.

Meanwhile, Gaetz voted for Trump — who was an unlikely bet to be speaker — in both voting sessions on Thursday.

Trump had not received any votes to be speaker prior to Thursday. It's worth noting that the elected speaker does not need to be a House member.

Trump, who announced his third Presidential bid in November, has said House members should vote McCarthy for speaker. But even his allies are scoffing at the suggestion, underscoring his dwindling support within the Republican party.

Boebert responded on Wednesday that Trump, who she called her "favorite President," would be wise to tell McCarthy to withdraw.

By Thursday, Boebert chose to vote for Rep. Kevin Hern from Oklahoma, apparently abandoning Donalds. Hern, an active stock trader, also received a vote from Rep.-elect Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma.

"Trump for Speaker" began trending on Twitter Thursday after Gaetz's vote.

Read Next: DeSantis Favored Over Trump By A Wide Margin, Poll Shows

Image: Shutterstock