The Republican Party continues to search for a candidate to succeed Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House of Representatives. Nine representatives have entered the race, and all of them are negotiating and establishing alliances to get the 217 votes that Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise could not reach. Donald Trump has spoken with all the competitors, although he is still not sure who to support.

As reported by Voz Media, nine representatives are competing for the position: Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Kevin Hern (R-Olka.), Mike Johnson (R-La.), Dan Meuser (R-Pa.), Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), Austin Scott (R-Ga.) and Pete Sessions (R-Texas).

They will all speak in a forum on Monday night, where they will present their candidacy to their colleagues before the formal vote on Tuesday night.

Days before the vote to designate one of them as the candidate to hold the gavel that McCarthy was stripped of, Trump spoke with each of them to discuss their political platform. However, according to the former president, who spoke in New Hampshire, he is not yet ready to make an official endorsement.

“We’re looking at a lot of people. And you know, I’m sort of trying to stay out of that as much as possible,” he noted. According to what was reported by The Hill, the former president is looking for someone "he can work with."

'I get along with all of them'

Also in New Hampshire, Trump revealed that it will be difficult for him to choose a candidate because he has a good relationship with each of them, even with Emmer, who has made statements against him. "I think he’s my biggest fan now because he called me yesterday, and he told me, ‘I’m your biggest fan,’ so I don’t know about that. I have always gotten along with him," said the former president. Emmer thanked the former president on X , previously known as Twitter: "If my colleagues elect me Speaker of the House, I look forward to continuing our strong working relationship."

Matt Gaetz, the congressman who introduced the motion to oust McCarthy, confirmed that the conversation between the two was fruitful. "I am told that President Trump and Tom Emmer spoke over the weekend and that that conversation went well," he commented on his podcast.

Hern, who arrived in the House in 2018, gave his opinion on the matter and stressed that the former president will not make an official endorsement before the vote, "because all of us are friends of his."

Byron Donalds, who even obtained some support from his colleagues during the voting at the beginning of the year, said that Trump is "focused on getting the [presidential] nomination of our party," which is why he is in contact with the candidates.