Will Donald Trump be the next president? Police officer unpacks: These are the most dangerous moments of Oktoberfest

Key voices from the Grand Old Party (GOP) had told him that Donald Trump should now become the next chairman – the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives – Sean Hannity announced yesterday in his daily evening broadcast. Earlier, eight rebels from within the ranks of the Republican Party had overthrown incumbent Chairman Kevin McCarthy, plunging their own party into misery. It is currently unclear who will replace McCarthy as speaker.

What about the Speaker Trump rumor? Hannity is once again the undisputed king of the Fox News throne following the firing of Tucker Carlson. His voice has weight. When Trump was still in the White House, Hannity was repeatedly referred to as his “secret chief of staff.” It was an open secret that they talked on the phone for hours, day and night. Hannity even appeared at election events and – to be close to Trump – he also bought a vacation home near Mar-a-Lago.

Viewed this way, the rumor is not as absurd as it might seem at first glance, especially since it circulated briefly before McCarthy was finally placed on the throne after fifteen painful rounds of voting.

Nevertheless, Trump is unlikely to hold the third most important office in the United States as president any time soon. First of all, he simply doesn’t have time for it. In the coming months, he will spend much of his days in court or in meetings with his lawyers.

Not only does he face four criminal trials with 91 charges. He also still faces civil lawsuits. One of these is currently running in New York. This is fraudulent business conduct. Trump faces a $250 million fine and the loss of his business licenses in New York State. And it doesn’t look good for the Donald.

Secondly, the position of speaker is very demanding. The US Congress is an extremely complex machine. Trump would have no idea what buttons to push – and he doesn’t have the patience to do so.

But American politics are crazy right now. The Republican Party has degenerated into a conspiracy cult. Under her leadership, the House of Representatives has become a circus. Therefore, everything is possible, including the impossible, namely that Trump actually becomes Speaker.

And why not? He would still be able to maintain his presidential candidacy and his potential to create chaos would even increase. If the budget bill is put back on the table, he could force a shutdown as early as November. A shutdown, by the way, which he expressly supported.

McCarthy prevented such a shutdown literally at the last minute. However, a strange coalition of right-wing hardliners around Matt Gaetz and progressive Democrats such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cost him his head. And this was one of the few times that McCarthy displayed anything resembling courage and statesmanlike behavior.

There is still no room for pity for him. The Democrats could have saved him. But they were fed up too. McCarthy has betrayed her and lied to her too many times. He has forced deserving members off committees, he has allowed a moronic impeachment inquiry into President Biden, and he has failed to facilitate any constructive cooperation between the two parties.

Democrats have also adhered to a time-tested political rule: Never harass an opponent who is leading himself to disaster. In fact, the Republicans are the big losers in this smear theater. They could not prevent eight extremists from causing chaos, chaos that could have bitter consequences in the next elections. Independent voters in particular can appreciate the maneuvers of Matt Gaetz and Co. do not understand and would instead prefer constructive suggestions and laws against real problems such as inflation, crime or the situation at the border.

Gaetz has therefore become a danger to his own people. In the seven years that he has been in the House of Representatives, he has not submitted a single bill. His coup against McCarthy is his greatest success yet, achieved at the expense of his own party. There is enormous anger towards him in the ranks of the Republican party. Former chairman Newt Gingrich – God knows no leftist or moderate – therefore calls Gaetz a traitor and calls for his exclusion from the parliamentary group.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal complains: “The House of Representatives is de facto paralyzed. The supposed Republican majority is weakened and the chances for political success are undermined. Control of the Biden administration is slowing down or even coming to an end. Republicans, who are particularly vulnerable in swing districts, will be weary of continuing to trust the Gaetz faction, and achieving party unity will become even more difficult. The crazy people on the left and right are happy, but no one else.”