Jim Jordan admits he NEVER wanted to be speaker – but believes HE is the one to unite a Republican party at war after getting Trump’s endorsement

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan said Friday that the speaker’s race does not come down to Donald Trump’s endorsement, but who can “unify” warring factions within his party.

The Ohio Republican, who chairs the powerful Judiciary Committee, is casting himself as the best person to do just that.

“I never wanted this job, someone has to do it,” he told CNN.

He said the race would come down to “who can unite the conference, who can unite conservative Republicans in our party and across the country and who can tell the country what we’re doing and why it’s important to them.”

“I appreciate the president’s endorsement that he is the leader of the party, that he will be our presidential candidate and I believe he will be our next president. So I appreciate that, but we’re focusing on – the most important thing is our colleagues – from Freedom Caucus to people in the middle, to committee chairs to Jeff Van Drew, who was a Democrat four years ago.”

Jordan is locked in a race for the gavel with Steve Scalise, the number two Republican in the House of Representatives. Oklahoma Republican Rep. Kevin Hern, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, is also expected to enter the race on Friday.

Jordan, in the race to become Speaker, pictured (left) with Kevin McCarthy, former Speaker of the House of Representatives who was impeached on Monday

Scalise also emphasized the need to unite the party. ‘The problems we have internally will not disappear with the new chairman. But the real question from the members is: how do we get things back on track?’ he told Fox News.

Trump toyed with the idea of ​​heading to Capitol Hill on Tuesday as the Republican conference meets to debate who is the best candidate to rally behind and serve as speaker.

It is still unclear whether a candidate has the broad popularity needed to win 218 votes for chairman, as Republicans only have a four-vote majority. On Monday, the House impeached former Speaker Kevin McCarthy as eight Republicans voted with all Democrats on a motion to evict filed by Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida.

Several Republicans allied with Trump had elected Trump to be speaker of the House of Representatives, and the former president said he was temporarily “open” to running before withdrawing and throwing his support behind Jordan.

Jordan “will be a GREAT Speaker of the House of Representatives, and has my complete and total approval!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He added, “Congressman Jim Jordan was a STAR long before he made his very successful trip to Washington, DC, where he represented Ohio’s 4th Congressional District.”

Jordan is one of Trump’s biggest champions on the Hill and is leading the investigation into prosecutors who charged the former president.

Scalise has also worked closely with Trump over the years.

Steve Scalise, left, also replaces McCarthy (right). Both are pictured above in 2014

Members of the House of Representatives have expressed support for both sides of X.

Scalise has been at the forefront for years and knows how it works. He is seen as more conservative than McCarthy, but more centrist than Jordan.

But Scalise voted for the $300 million for Ukraine and for the emergency law that could prevent a government shutdown and defeated the motion to leave the country.

On Saturday, McCarthy laid a continuing resolution (CR) on the floor of the House of Representatives – a bill that will fund the government at fiscal year 2023 levels until November 17. individual appropriations bills with deep cuts.