Fox News will exclusively host and televise the upcoming debate for the House speakership, now that the gavel is up for grabs after Representative Kevin McCarthy was ousted in a historic Tuesday vote.
Bret Baier will moderate the debate between House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, and Representative Kevin Hern of Oklahoma on Monday in the Capitol, Punchbowl News first reported. The debate will not be open press, the publication said, which means reporters other than Baier will be barred from the room.
Fox is still determining whether the debate will be live or pre-taped.
After entertaining a potential bid for the speakership himself, former president Trump endorsed Jordan, a favorite of the conference’s right-wing hardliners, for the role Thursday night.
While House sources told National Review previously that Scalise has the clearest path to the position, there have been concerns about his health from some GOP members. Scalise is battling a form of blood cancer known as multiple myeloma and is undergoing treatment while continuing to serve.
As chairman of the GOP’s largest caucus, the Republican Study Committee, Hern gained several votes for the speakership in January before McCarthy ultimately prevailed. He is currently gauging support for his bid among members.
On Monday, a motion to vacate from Florida representative Matt Gaetz succeeded, booting McCarthy from his leadership role. The vote was 216-210, with a small group of House Republicans joining Democrats to oust McCarthy. The embattled former GOP leader was canned after barely securing the spot in January following a multi-day voting marathon instigated by the same party dissidents. McCarthy bowed out of running again this week.
Internal elections for the speakership are supposed to happen Wednesday, a source familiar with the procedural plans told Politico.
Before endorsing Jordan on Thursday, Trump volunteered to temporarily serve as House speaker for up to 90 days while Republicans figure out who will replace McCarthy.
“I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress,” Trump told Fox News. “If they don’t get the vote, they have asked me if I would consider taking the speakership until they get somebody longer-term because I am running for president.”
“They have asked me if I would take it for a short period of time for the party, until they come to a conclusion,” he added. “I’m not doing it because I want to — I will do it if necessary, should they not be able to make their decision.”
Some members of the House Freedom Caucus have embraced Trump as speaker, with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene writing on X, “If Trump becomes Speaker of the House, the House chamber will be like a Trump rally everyday!!”
“It would be the House of MAGA!!!” she said.