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Former President Donald Trump dove head-first into the fight over the next speaker of the House, endorsing Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on Thursday night.
“He is STRONG on Crime, Borders, our Military/Vets, & 2nd Amendment,” Trump wrote of Jordan in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, per NBC News’ Jake Traylor. “He will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!”
Earlier in the day, Jordan told NBC News’ Ali Vitali and Kyle Stewart that he had discussed his bid for speaker with the former president, saying that they had a “great conversation.” Later, news broke that Trump was weighing a visit to the Capitol next week to try and unify Republicans as some lawmakers called for the former president himself to take the position, since the speaker does not have to be a member of the House.
Meanwhile, Trump allies are also meddling in the race for majority leader, per TIME, moving to oppose Minnesota GOP Rep. Tom Emmer’s bid. Emmer, currently the majority whip, is the only current member of House leadership who did not vote to object to 2020 election results, and he reportedly has said he will not endorse in the presidential primary.
In other campaign news …
Immune? Trump’s attorneys moved on Thursday to dismiss the federal 2020 election interference case, arguing Trump’s actions were protected by presidential immunity, per NBC’s Ginger Gibson and Ryan J. Reilly.
No longer going Green: Activist Cornel West announced Thursday that he is running for president as an independent, and no longer running under the Green Party mantle, which could complicate West’s attempts to get on the ballot.
Third-party threat: A group donors huddled this week and discussed donating more money to stop a potential third-party bid from No Labels amid fears such a campaign could cause President Joe Biden’s to lose to Trump, per Politico, which details other efforts to stymie third-party runs.
The call is coming from inside the house: Democratic calls on Biden to address the flow of undocumented immigrants across the southern border have “quickly created a political headache for the president,” write NBC’s Natasha Korecki and Gabe Gutierrez.
Decision time: Friday is the deadline in New Hampshire for voters to change their party registration ahead of the 2024 primary, and NBC’s Emma Barnett and Noah Pransky detail how some groups are making the case to Democrats to switch parties and participate in the GOP primary.
It’s electric: The New York Times delves into the GOP presidential candidates’ recent criticism of electric vehicles.
Surf’s up: Newly appointed California Democratic Sen. Laphonza Butler is weighing a run for the open Senate seat, and CNN reports that the current candidates in recent days have been “preparing to ramp up new endorsements and outreach that they hope will convince Butler there is not enough time to mount a credible campaign.”
Primary point: Some House GOP primary candidates running against candidates former Speaker Kevin McCarthy endorsed are using his ouster against his preferred contenders, per Politico.
Santos saga: Embattled New York GOP Rep. George Santos’ former campaign treasurer pleaded guilty in the case involving Santos, admitting Thursday that she fabricated campaign donations.
