A former Republican House representative claimed Sunday that former President Donald Trump's influence in Congress and over the Republican Party is over.
"Trump is no longer in control," former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) told Chuck Todd on Meet the Press.
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After being asked whether Trump showed weakness or strength through his involvement in the speaker of the House election process, Curbelo said, "I thought we saw a lot of weakness."
"I mean, right at the end, I guess he helped move two or three members, which, given the margins, was significant," Curbelo explained. "But the first time Trump spoke out and kind of pushed these members, people ignored him."
He compared this to his tenure in the House, where Trump's influence was palpable. "When I was in the House, the first two years of the Trump presidency, all of these members would say, 'Wait, wait, wait, hold on. Let's see what the president's going to do. Let's see what the president's going to say.' I think that's over," he said.
After a turbulent, dayslong election process, Speaker Kevin McCarthy was selected to become speaker of the 118th Congress. It took 15 ballots for McCarthy to garner enough support. He was forced to make a number of concessions to several GOP members who stood in the way of him securing the speakership.
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Despite the dramatic vote, McCarthy insisted that it was ultimately beneficial for his conference. "Because it took this long, now we've learned how to govern. So now, we'll be able to get the job done," he said. "At the end of the day, we're going to be more effective, more efficient, and definitely, government is going to be more accountable."