Could Elon Musk be the next speaker of the House of Representatives? Multiple lawmakers on Capitol Hill say he should be and the rules would allow it.
The idea was first pitched Thursday morning, Dec. 19, on X by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
“The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress,” Paul wrote. “Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk.”
“Nothing’s impossible,” Paul continued. “(not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds)”
The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress . . .
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) December 19, 2024
Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it . . . nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’…
Sen. Paul is correct, the House can elect whomever it wants as Speaker.
The Constitution states: “The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers.”
That’s it. There are no further rules or guidelines.
The official government guide to practices of the House states the Constitution does not limit the choice to a member, although choosing a non-member has never been done before.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., responded to Paul by stating, “I’d be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House.”
“DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency,” Greene wrote. “The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way.”
I’d be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) December 19, 2024
DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency.
The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday.
This could be the way. https://t.co/8YuL56e443
“Yesterday” was a reference to the death of the government funding package Wednesday night.
If Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is unable to win another term, it’s unclear who could take his place.
The speaker must be elected with a majority vote. No other Republican member has shown they have enough support to reach that. So if Johnson can’t do it, this January could look a lot like January 2023 when former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif,. took four days to get elected.
It’s worth noting that the speaker is second in line of presidential succession, but Musk is ineligible because he is not a natural born citizen. If Musk were speaker and both the president and vice president were unable to serve, the Senate president pro pempore would become president.
