Matt Gaetz Thinks Marjorie Taylor Greene Would Be 'Terrific Speaker'

Republican Matt Gaetz has endorsed the possibility of his controversial House colleague Marjorie Taylor Greene serving as speaker of the House.

Gaetz, who has represented Florida's 1st Congressional District since 2017, recently appeared at Turning Point USA's America Fest event in Phoenix. In a clip shared to Twitter by right-wing watchdog account PatriotTakes, the congressman told correspondents for the outlet Real America's Voice that, in his view, Greene would make for "a terrific speaker."

Gaetz made the comment in response to an inquiry about the recent news that Greene had opted to support GOP House leader Kevin McCarthy's bid for the speaker role, saying that McCarthy "doesn't deserve her."

"She's so great, I love Marjorie Taylor Greene. I think that she would be a terrific speaker or leader," Gaetz said. "You know, Marjorie has often reflected her frustration with Congress as an institution: how corrupt it is, how there's not planning, and oftentimes, Kevin McCarthy is the embodiment of the worst features of the Congress."

McCarthy, a Republican from California, has served as House minority leader since 2019, and prior to that, served as the House majority leader from 2014 to 2019 under Republican speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan.

With Republicans retaking the House majority in the recent midterm elections, McCarthy has been widely viewed as the leading candidate for the speaker role come January.

However, McCarthy has faced dissent from the further-right segments of the House GOP, including the likes of Gaetz and Greene, who doubted his ability to support their goals and agendas.

With Republicans notching a much smaller House majority than expected after a disappointing midterm performance, McCarthy faced the prospect of not securing the speaker position, as only five Republicans refusing to support him would prevent him from getting the 218 votes needed.

Despite early opposition, Greene recently came out in support of McCarthy's bid, urging her fellow House Republicans to vote for him as speaker. In an interview with former Donald Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis, Greene claimed that she did not have to make any compromises in order to offer her support to McCarthy.

"First of all, let me say I haven't compromised anything. Nothing has changed about me, and I had no deals I had to make to support Kevin McCarthy," Greene said. "I'm a realist. And so I make my decision based on what's actually realistic, not what we wish or fantasize can happen in Congress."

In his comments from America Fest, Gaetz emphasized that no matter her position on McCarthy, he still supports Greene and will continue to work with her to hold GOP leadership accountable, no matter who is in charge.

"I don't begrudge her that, not all two people see all things the same way every time. She and I see this differently, but trust me. We're allies, we're in the fight. Marjorie Taylor Greene is going to be one of the folks, no matter who the speaker is, holding them accountable and making sure we're getting after it," he said.

Later in the day, Gaetz took to Twitter to further flesh out his stance on the speaker situation, noting that he'd rather see a "turbulent takeoff" that lasts longer than usual than have the party suffer under "weak leadership."

"We may see the cherry blossoms bloom in Washington, D.C. before a Speaker is elected," Gaetz wrote. "I'd rather have a turbulent takeoff than two years of weak leadership."

Newsweek reached out to McCarthy's office for comment.

Update 12/19/22, 6:33 p.m. ET: This story was updated with a further public statement from Matt Gaetz.