In a whirlwind Friday morning, Representative Jim Jordan seized the mic for a brisk ten-minute press conference, facing questions from reporters amid the rollercoaster ride of his bid for the coveted Speaker position. Unfazed by the fluctuating support, Jordan asserted optimism, drawing parallels to historical rounds of speaker votes.
The numbers painted a dramatic picture – 20 Republicans initially defying Jordan, a number that swelled to 22 on the second vote. This echoes the prolonged struggle of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who endured 15 rounds before clinching victory in January.
Undeterred by setbacks, Jordan, despite skepticism over hitting the crucial 217 votes, defiantly announced a fresh vote slated for 10 am ET on Friday. A surprising twist occurred after Jordan initially pumped the brakes on his speakership aspirations Thursday, proposing Patrick McHenry as an interim speaker until January. However, GOP members nixed that lifeline, prompting Jordan’s about-face.
Enter “Fox and Friends,” scratching their heads over the purpose of Jordan’s presser. Lawrence Jones dissected the event, musing that Jordan seemed more in rally mode than informative.
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“Doesn’t look like he has the support yet,” Jones said before adding: “Brian and Ainsley, I’m not sure what the purpose of the press conference. He took question from the folks, but it looks like he’s still just trying to rally the troops.”
Brian Kilmeade echoed the confusion, asserting the conference yielded little fresh insight, save for Jordan’s unwavering resolve. The absence of a clear successor a la Steve Scalise added an extra layer of uncertainty.
“So, okay. I don’t know what the point was,” Kilmeade said. “Everything that we just learned We knew, except for that Jim Jordan is not quitting. And there is no Steve Scalise sitting in the background as Oh, Kevin McCarthy come back about to happen. There’s no congressman Hurd who says what about me but Put me in coach.
Responding to Jordan bowing to use the Bible to propel himself across the finish line, Kilmeade questioned the diverse motivations among the 20 GOP dissenters, pondering which interpretation of the Bible was guiding their stance against Jordan.
“So right now, Jim Jordan says, I’m going to use the Bible as inspiration to push myself over the finish line. The problem is, what Bible are the other 20 using because they believe that they’re making their stand against Jim Jordan.”
Watch:
Brian Kilmeade: "I don't know what the point was" pic.twitter.com/8Yq1DmAaQ7
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 20, 2023
