Donald Trump Tells Republicans Not To Embarrass Themselves: 'Vote For Kevin'

Donald Trump emphatically endorsed Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for House speaker on Wednesday and urged Republicans not to embarrass themselves after a revolt by far-right lawmakers led to a historic failure  to elect anyone for the post the day before.

For the first time since 1923, the House failed to choose a speaker on the first ballot. In fact, House Republicans went three roll calls without reaching a consensus after a contingent refused to vote for him and instead backed more extreme GOP candidates. They’ll try again on Wednesday.

“VOTE FOR KEVIN, CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY, & WATCH CRAZY NANCY PELOSI FLY BACK HOME TO A VERY BROKEN CALIFORNIA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social .

The former president and current 2024 presidential candidate ratcheted up his plea on McCarthy’s behalf after the California lawmaker himself claimed Tuesday that Trump was backing him . But in an interview with NBC News , Trump offered a tepid “We’ll see what happens.”

On Wednesday, Trump made his wishes clear, attempting to wield his debatable influence via the post on his social media platform.

“REPUBLICANS, DO NOT TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GIANT & EMBARRASSING DEFEAT,” Trump wrote. “IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE, YOU DESERVE IT. Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, and maybe even a GREAT JOB – JUST WATCH!”

The Republican standoff irritated even the GOP-cheerleading Fox News .

So perhaps it was a matter of time before Trump weighed in.