CNN Anchor in Disbelief as Republican Blames Biden for House Speaker Drama: ‘How?!’

William FurneyOct 20, 2023

Minute Read

CNN anchor Boris Sanchez hardly knew what to say after a Republican appearing on his show tried to pin the blame on the House speaker debacle on President Biden.

Historic Removal

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Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, was ousted as Speaker of the House of Representatives after eight Republicans sided with Democrats to remove him in early October. It was the first time members of the House had voted to expel its leader, and McCarthy said he would not run again for the post.

No Luck for Jordan

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Since then, Republicans, who control the House with a majority 222 seats to the Democrats’ 213, have struggled to put forward a candidate. This week a vote for Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, failed the first time around and a second will take place on Wednesday.

‘Biden Weakness’ to Blame

Representative Keith Self, Republican of Texas, claimed on Sanchez’s CNN show after Jordan’s failure to garner enough votes that it was because of the current government’s problems. “Well, the chaos today is because of the weakness in the Biden administration,” he told an incredulous Sanchez.

‘Republicans to Blame’

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The CNN host demanded to know how Self had arrived at that logic.

“How?” he asked. “It’s your party. It’s members of your party that ousted Kevin McCarthy.” But Self wasn’t having any of it, and persisted in claiming it was all President Biden’s fault.

‘Border Problems’

The Republican went on to blame a number of issues that Biden had been dealing with, including problems along the US-Mexico border and a rise in migrants coming to America.

“The southern border is absolutely in chaos,” said Self.

Sanchez Insistence

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The CNN host persisted: “Congressman, respectfully, the reason the House doesn’t have a speaker is not because of Joe Biden. It’s because of members of your party. That’s why the House doesn’t have a speaker.”

Democrats’ Attempt

The Democrats put forward Hakeem Jeffries of New York for speaker but he also didn’t receive enough votes to be successful.

Speaker Role Crucial

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The House is essentially rudderless without a speaker, who is required to approve bills and also any emergency spending requests. Government spending could also grind to a halt.

Hopeful of Resolution

Representative Self told CNN’s Sanchez that he was sure the current impasse over the House speaker would soon be resolved and that the country could move on.

“Look, democracy is messy. We’re going to get through this. We’re going to have new leadership in the House of Representatives,” he said. “And then we’re going to lead to the victory in 2024 of a Republican president, hopefully a Republican Senate, and we’re going to change some of these policies that we see today.”

Republican Presidential Hopes

Republicans are hoping to recapture the White House in next year’s presidential election, with former president Donald Trump as the most likely to win the vote — if he’s chosen as the candidate. Trump is leading the field of Republicans aiming to snare the party’s nomination for the presidential race, consistently getting around 60% of voter support compared to 10% and less for his rivals, according to polls.

Republican Fears Over Trump Run

But a presidential run by billionaire Trump is not without its worries in the GOP. The property mogul has been indicted on federal charges of working to overthrow the results of the 2020 election he lost to Biden and also trying to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. In a separate federal case, Trump is accused of storing classified files at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that he was not entitled under the law to remove from the White House.

Democrats’ 2024 Aims

Returning President Biden to the White House for a second and final term is what many in the Democratic Party are aiming for next year, along with Vice President Kamala Harris. There are, however, concerns about Biden’s advanced age — he would be 81 if he won the election next year — and an apparent frailty, given a recent series of stumbles and gaffes.

Their candidate will be chosen in primaries that look set to start in South Carolina on February 3 next year — in a move away from traditional starting primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire — and they could then face off against Trump.