- In July, Matt Gaetz pledged during a Florida rally that he would nominate Trump as House Speaker.
- Gaetz said he will keep the details of his conversations with Trump confidential.
- A Trump spokesperson said the former president has "zero desire" in becoming Speaker of the House.
During a news conference on the imprisonment of January 6 rioters, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said that he has spoken with Donald Trump about making him speaker of the House of Representatives if the Republican party wins a majority during the 2022 midterm elections.
When pressed for additional details on the conversation, Gaetz stated that he keeps "conversations with the former president between the two of us."
—Acyn (@Acyn) December 7, 2021
This isn't the first time Gaetz has pushed the idea. He began campaigning on the promise at a "Save America" rally in July in Sarasota, Florida, according to ABC-affiliate WTXL, in addition to including it in one of his fundraising newsletters.
"After the next election cycle when we take back the House of Representatives, when we send Nancy Pelosi back to the filth of San Francisco, my commitment to you is that my vote for Speaker of the US House of Representatives will go to Donald J. Trump," Gaetz said during the July rally.
—PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) July 3, 2021
While the House speaker does not technically need to be an elected official, Trump spokesperson Jason Miller previously stated that Trump has "zero desire" to assume the position.
Gaetz, who is still embroiled in a Department of Justice sex-trafficking probe, has vehemently denied allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl in 2019 and paid her to travel with him.
Trump reportedly wanted to defend Gaetz when the allegations were publicized but was advised to refrain from commenting on the matter.