The Constitution is silent when it comes to the qualifications of the speaker. However, former President Trump wouldn't even have to fiddle with being elected to Congress and camping out on the fifth floor of the Cannon House Office Building across from the Capitol if he really wanted to become speaker of the House – and an outright majority of the House also wanted Speaker Trump. But Johnson fell ill and died shortly after serving in the Senate. President Andrew Johnson became a senator after leaving the presidency, serving among the same members who nearly convicted him in an impeachment trial. He actually died in what was then the Speaker's Office just off the House floor, now named after the late Rep. Adams was a House member for 18 years after his time in the White House. President John Quincy Adams is the only former president to serve in the House. Moreover, it’s rare for any former president to return to public life as a House member or senator. House members don't get any special dispensation in seniority or special perquisites – even if they are a former president. A far cry from the commodious trappings of the Oval Office or Trump Tower. These outposts are Congressional Siberia. As a House neophyte, Trump would likely discover himself relegated to cramped quarters in House outposts, with tiny offices on the upper floors of the Cannon or Longworth House Office Buildings. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., who is now running for governor.īut the plight of a freshman Republican congressman could cramp former President Trump’s style. Republicans would love to win the seat of retiring Rep. Heading into 2022, Republicans are hoping to flip the seat currently held by moderate, Blue Dog Rep. The former president even lost to President Biden on his home turf, 58% to 41%.īut there’s nothing in the Constitution that says House members must reside in the districts they represent. Frankel vanquished her GOP opponent, Laura Loomer, by 20 points. The district favors Democrats by eight points. The problem with that is former President Trump is registered to vote in the 21st Congressional District of Florida, currently held by Rep. In an interview with Wayne Allyn Root, Trump argued that becoming speaker "might be better." He described the possibility as "very interesting." There were suggestions that the former president may try to seek a seat in Congress, representing Palm Beach, Florida, home to Mar-a-Lago.
But whether or not President Trump could emerge as the 55th speaker of the House raises a very interesting question: could it actually happen?