Emmer speaks with Trump as he tries to quash resistance to speaker bid

Speaker hopeful Tom Emmer spoke with Donald Trump over the weekend as the majority whip tries to squash internal concerns about his negative relationship with the former president.

The call — confirmed by two people familiar with the conversation, including a Trump ally, before the former president himself detailed the call to reporters Monday afternoon — comes as the former president has been calling Republicans on and off Capitol Hill to take his allies’ temperature on Emmer. The No. 3 House Republican is one of nine lawmakers currently vying to win the gavel.

“I spoke to Mr. Emmer. I spoke to a lot of congressmen that called me up — they all called asking for support. And, of course, I have to hold it for a while. I have a lot of friends that are looking at it right now.”

“I think he’s [Emmer] my biggest fan now because he called me yesterday and he told me I’m your biggest fan,” Trump continued. “I’ve sort of tried to stay out of that as much as possible. … I’ve always gotten along with him.”

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) was the first person to disclose the call, saying on his podcast Monday: “I am told that President Trump and Tom Emmer spoke over the weekend and that that conversation went well.”

Gaetz, who has become an increasingly controversial figure within the GOP after moving to oust ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, hasn’t said who he is backing in the speaker’s race. He stressed on Monday that his comments shouldn’t be viewed as a sign of who he supports. But he’s been privately helping Emmer as he tries to quell deep mistrust among some Trump allies.

“I am uncommitted to any Speaker candidate at this time. I’ve encouraged all of our Speaker candidates to support President Trump, to reach out to him, and to seek his advice,” Gaetz said in a statement to POLITICO.

One person familiar declined to comment on the call beyond describing it as “productive.” But the Trump ally appeared to take an indirect swipe at Gaetz, warning that “attempts … to make the call sound like something that it wasn’t is misleading.”

“Emmer called President Trump this weekend and the two had a polite conversation. End of story,” the Trump ally added.

Trump hasn’t directly come out against Emmer, but he’s been calling House Republicans to get their take on the Minnesotan. Those Republicans include Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), according to two people familiar with the conversation. Nehls has also spoken with Emmer.

Nearly half of the speakership candidates have already spoken with the former president, including Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), according to Hern’s spokesperson; Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), according to a person familiar with the call; and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas). Sessions confirmed that he and Trump had a “polite conversation” over the weekend in a statement to POLITICO.

“The president is interested in having somebody he can work with and I think I’m one of those people,” Sessions said.

Emmer is considered the frontrunner in the latest iteration of the House GOP’s speaker election. As the highest-ranking member in the race, he also received an endorsement from McCarthy.

But multiple Republicans have privately cautioned that Emmer — like two other candidates before him — will be unable to secure the gavel because of pockets of resistance that prevent him from landing 217 votes. It’s a problem every candidate seems to have.

“There’s only one person that can do it all the way — that’s Jesus Christ,” Trump told reporters in New Hampshire Monday afternoon. “If Jesus Christ came down and said I want to be speaker, he would do it. Other than that I haven’t seen anyone that can guarantee it.”

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