Senate Republicans speak following closed-door leadership election meeting

[0:00] okay is that still possible because that is that is what let's try to let you be here [0:09] is there any way we can make a little space for the conference camera [0:14] like obviously we don't want you to move [0:35] okay we're live in two minutes sorry yep i got you guys [1:03] thank you thank you we appreciate it [1:10] oh yeah [1:15] i heard it but i didn't hear anything i heard this hey hey guys hear me [1:24] yep yep yep i got you yeah yeah [1:27] yeah okay [1:31] yes yes the closed door voting yes the actual voting this morning was like the campaigning [1:43] and then now one two three four five six seven eight nine ten one two three four five six seven eight nine ten [1:51] ten nine eight seven six [2:06] nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine [3:16] time right now for house republicans they are voting behind closed doors and they are going [3:22] race by race and really truly members are not giving away many of them not giving away which [3:27] they're voting today in these leadership elections house speaker mike johnson came out and spoke to us [3:33] a short time ago and said he urged the conference to act quickly well christian the biggest battle [3:51] is between steve scalise and jim george one two three four five six seven eight nine ten ten nine [3:56] eight seven six five four three one two three four five six seven eight nine ten ten nine eight seven [4:07] six five four three two texas congressman daniel moran tells me he's backing scalise down the ballot [4:49] tom emmer and august luger are competing for whip and moran is backing luger and uh plans to deliver [4:57] his nominating speech arguing that republicans need to overhaul their floor operation and then there's [5:02] a three-way race for republican conference chair of the committee that was playing erin couch and [5:08] it's great to do these people told me that she's switzerland when it comes to the scalise and jordan [5:12] contest so johnson of course says that they need to have this leadership in place in the next couple [5:19] hours certainly this whoever leaves the party is going to have the same challenges to not only [5:26] unify and again uh you know you know be able to unify members that are going to now be in the minority [5:33] but to also deliver a return to the majority in 2028 check check one two mic check all right my check [5:59] one two three four five six seven eight nine ten mic check one two three four five six seven eight [6:06] nine ten mic check one two three four five six yeah mic check one two three four five six seven eight [6:16] 8 29 10 mic check one two three four five six seven eight nine ten mic check one two three four five [7:17] six seven eight nine ten it's not the cable mic check one two three four five six seven eight [7:32] One, two, three, four. [7:51] One, two, three, four. [9:22] Yep, I got you. [10:10] Yep, one, two, three, four, five. [10:28] Oh, right now? [10:29] How can you see me? [10:36] Oh, yeah. [10:39] Thank you. [10:41] Getting ready for my life. [10:42] Yeah, I do. [10:58] Guillermo just said these. [10:59] Guillermo just told me he could see me. [11:14] Send that to the fans. [11:28] Who said that? [11:34] Oh, yeah. [11:37] Yeah. [11:40] See her face. [11:52] Zoom in on her face. [11:55] Yeah, well, her name is on the camera. [11:59] Yeah. [12:00] Oh, my goodness. [12:07] Gosh, who's the biggest babies in the world? [12:44] What? [12:45] Yeah. [12:45] Yeah. [12:47] Yeah. [12:47] Yeah. [12:55] Yeah. [12:55] Yeah. [12:55] Yeah. [12:55] Yeah. [12:58] Hi. [12:58] Hi. [12:59] Hi. [13:01] How are you? [13:01] How are you? [13:39] Oui. [13:39] Yeah. [13:40] Ah, yeah. [13:49] I got one, right? [14:23] Yeah. [14:23] Oh. [14:28] Oh, yeah. [14:28] Thank you. [15:52] Thank you. [16:25] Thank you. [17:14] Thank you. [17:17] Thank you. [17:19] Thank you. [17:23] Thank you. [17:25] I sure did. [17:43] And one, two, three, four, five. [17:56] Thank you. [18:14] Thank you. [18:16] Thank you. [18:28] Thank you. [18:30] Thank you. [18:32] Thank you. [18:34] Yep. [18:38] Like drop. [18:54] Thank you. [19:05] Thank you. [19:08] It wasn't even like I was looking at her. [19:17] I was actually like, those are really good actually. [19:19] She's got her photos up. [19:21] He caught me. [19:23] Yeah, I will. [19:25] Oh gosh. [19:26] Are you AP? [19:27] Yeah. [19:28] What's your name? [19:29] Jacqueline. [19:30] Hi. [19:31] Awesome. [19:32] Show your byline. [19:33] Show your photo credit. [19:34] Kilmany. [19:35] Kilmany do part. [19:36] That is where I started my career, which was the Associated Press. [19:38] Yay. [19:39] AP television. [19:40] Yes. [19:41] All right. [19:42] I've got Nina, you know, good words in there from, you know, Sarah Gillespie up at the top [19:47] of the top of the top of the top of the top of the top of the top of the top of the top. [19:48] I don't know if anybody is going to tell her. [19:49] Everybody is nailing it. [19:50] Nico. [19:51] Yeah. [19:52] Everyone? [19:53] Great. [19:54] Yeah, yeah, yeah. [19:55] Nico Melny. [19:56] He's great. [19:57] But I know the photo side is different. [20:00] Swain Hall, I suppose, is still there anymore. [20:02] He just retired. [20:03] He just retired? [20:04] Okay. [20:05] I was in the New York era, so. [20:07] I know Swain. [20:08] I know John Mancillo. [20:09] Yeah, he's great. [20:10] He was doing video recording. [20:11] Oh, really? [20:12] Yeah, but I think he was first in the new world. [20:14] Multimedia. [20:15] Multimedia. [20:16] Okay. [20:17] Okay. [20:18] Wow. [20:19] Awesome. [20:20] Yeah. [20:21] I did so many, like, protests with everybody. [20:23] And the Stills photos, folks, were always my best friends in the field, because you guys [20:29] always know where to be. [20:31] Like, yeah. [20:32] Yeah. [20:33] Sorry. [20:34] I'm sorry. [20:35] I'm sorry. [20:36] I'm sorry. [20:37] I'm sorry. [20:38] I'm sorry. [20:39] I'm sorry. [20:40] I'm sorry. [20:41] I'm sorry. [20:45] I'm sorry. [20:46] I'm sorry. [20:47] I Where we go. [20:49] Here we go. [20:50] Oh, no. [21:16] All right. [21:19] No. [21:20] Thank you. [21:27] Thank you. [22:36] Thank you. [23:54] Thank you. [24:24] Thank you. [24:33] Appreciate it. [24:35] Do order one? [24:37] Oh, my God. [24:39] Is that being reported everywhere? [24:41] Yeah. [24:43] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [24:48] I can probably... [24:50] Yeah. [24:53] Yeah. [24:57] Yeah. [25:04] Yeah. [25:08] Yeah. [25:22] Yeah. [25:26] Yeah. [25:28] Yeah. [25:31] Yeah. [25:33] Hey, guys, can you still hear me? [25:35] No. [25:38] Okay, I'm trying to confirm it now, but not sure if you want to come back to me or not. [26:00] Okay, copy, copy, I'll call you back. [26:02] Okay, bye. [26:20] Thank you. [27:19] Yeah, I'm trying, I'm texting everyone I know right now. [27:31] Okay, I'm trying to confirm it right now with everyone I know, I can't independently confirm it right now, but obviously everybody's reporting it. [27:38] Did you do that how many? [27:46] No, we're locked in right now. [27:50] That's okay. [27:50] I mean, like, if they want to do a Q&A, sure, but I think we have to keep the raised graphics. [27:54] I can drop spots if you want, but we can't, we can't make too many adjustments. [27:58] We're not. [28:00] I mean, don't look at that right now. [28:01] We're bracing for a presser, you know what I mean? [28:04] We're developing and moving, so. [28:07] Okay. [28:08] I'm going to have to have a Q&A. [28:09] Okay. [28:10] I'm going to have a Q&A. [28:11] Okay. [28:12] I'm going to have a Q&A. [28:13] I'm going to have a Q&A. [28:14] I'm going to have a Q&A. [28:16] Oh, here, go ahead. [28:17] Go ahead and take it. [28:18] Yep. [28:19] I'm going to have a Q&A. [28:20] I mean, I'm going to be sitting there. [28:21] No, well, you can't sit there right now because I'm doing my live shot right now. [28:23] Are you going to be doing my live shot? [28:24] And I've been here since 8 a.m., so. [28:26] I will allow the school to be here so that you guys can sit there when the press conference [28:33] is going. [28:34] Okay. [28:35] So, but I can't do that right now when I have a live shot. [28:40] Do you have a call? [28:41] Is somebody calling us right now? [28:45] Those are the little cameras. [28:47] Yeah. [28:48] Yeah. [28:49] Yeah. [28:50] Yeah. [28:51] Hey, Dr. Scott. [28:54] Hey, Dr. Scott. [28:55] Yeah. [28:56] Okay. [29:02] Okay. [29:04] Yeah. [29:05] Yeah. [29:06] Yeah. [29:07] Yeah. [29:08] Yeah. [29:09] Yeah. [29:10] Yes, but guys, we're not recording this until we confirm it ourselves. [29:25] Hold on, let me just, let me, let me talk to. [29:36] Okay. [29:36] Do you want me to get it to Politico? [29:46] Okay. [29:47] Okay, I'll just say Jim York has a report lead right now. [29:51] Okay, great, great, great, because they're wanting me to get back up, so I just didn't [30:02] want to do it without checking with you guys. [30:04] Okay, great, great, all right. [30:13] Okay, Nat does, Nat, no, I haven't confirmed it. [30:17] Nat doesn't disconnect it to us. [30:18] I think we're coming to us shortly. [30:20] I'm going to say he's reportedly confirmed that both need to connect to you after. [30:24] Okay, okay. [30:25] Hey guys, A, A, 1, 2, can we hit this really fast? [30:33] Okay. [30:34] Okay, thank you. [30:42] You got your call. [30:46] No. [30:46] I got all wound up. [30:48] That's all right. [30:49] Yeah, my wife. [30:49] Hi. [30:49] Oh, my God. [30:51] Hi. [30:51] Hi. [30:52] Hi. [30:52] No, my gosh. [30:54] Thank you. [31:25] Christian, good to be with you. Jim Jordan has reportedly right now secured the votes needed for House Minority Leader. So all signs right now point to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan as the next minority leader for Republicans. This is a really big deal because this signals change that was within the GOP. Obviously, they have been digesting these midterm losses and they want a change in direction. They want somebody outside of immediate leadership. [31:55] House Majority Leader Steve Scalise had been pushing very hard for this. Certainly, members that we had spoken with this morning had been putting their support behind him. [32:03] But this really signals a different direction for the party. And obviously, Jim Jordan has been somebody that has been very integral to the House of Investigations happening on the low-up side of the political aisle. [32:15] He's certainly somebody that's going to be a strong leader to go up against Democrats who plan investigations against the Trump administration, the Trump family, and certainly cabinet members that we're seeing now. [32:29] So they're going to continue to go down the ballot. This is all happening right now behind closed doors. They still have to decide others, including House Minority Whip, Conference Chair. These are races that are, again, going to be contested. [32:44] So there are going to be a number of other ballots. So right now, we're awaiting a press conference when they do wrap up this process. But right now, we can report that Jim Jordan has reportedly secured the votes needed at the next House of GOP and Minority Leader, Krisha. [33:01] Thank you. [33:32] Testing, testing, testing. Is it in the headphones? [34:07] Testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, guarantee, pursue the votes, and the Republicans who Miller published. [34:10] Okay, we're trying to connect you guys right now. And then I can get up. I think people tell them to try to talk with me. [34:19] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nicole said she conferred on her. [34:22] So, okay. Cool. [34:24] Okay. [34:24] No worries,不起. [34:25] Okay, we're connected to AA right now, we just broke it on N2, we're going to hit N1 now. [34:42] Okay, thanks, no worries. [34:45] Sorry, check, check, check, can anybody hear me? [34:50] Yep, I got you guys. [34:52] Yep. [34:55] One, two, three, four, five. [34:58] Okay. [35:01] Okay, now I do. [35:02] Talk one more time. [35:06] Yep, gotcha. [35:09] Okay. [35:10] Yep, yep. [35:20] I think you can see the picture, right? [35:24] Yeah. [35:25] No problem. [35:46] Good, thank you. [35:55] I don't think that we do. [36:01] Okay, wait. [36:11] Yeah. [36:17] Thank you. [36:24] Sorry, say that one more time. [36:26] Yeah, exactly. [36:35] And we understand that Jim Jordan secured maybe about over 100 votes. [36:40] So it wasn't necessarily a close or a tight vote in this. [36:44] But, again, in any election, change is always a very powerful message. [36:48] And certainly what this signals for the entire Republican conference is that they want something different. [36:53] How Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has led major investigation for the Republicans as they have been in the majority, [37:01] certainly dating back to the Biden administration and Hunter Biden and the so-called weaponization of the Justice Department of the Biden administration. [37:11] And they continue to pursue a lot of this corruption. [37:15] Corruption was a powerful message that we saw in the midterms. [37:18] And I think what we're hearing from the conference with this decision right now is that they don't want the current leadership that's been in place. [37:27] House Majority Chiefs believes this is someone that is widely respected throughout the conference. [37:32] But, again, this is something that, while they are dissecting these midterm losses and what went wrong, this is about a change of direction and pace. [37:41] And certainly Jim Jordan has secured those votes. [37:43] I think they're continuing to go down the ballot. [37:45] This is a secret ballot. [37:47] It all takes place behind closed doors. [37:49] So we're getting that information from certainly members and staffers inside that room about how this is all shaking out. [37:58] And all of this is going to play a huge role in how they battle Democrats in the minority [38:04] and how they shape their agenda and their argument for 2028 in two years from now. [38:11] And they try to, again, regain the upper hand after these bruising losses. [38:15] Katrina, Bob. [38:16] I think you hit on something that is very important here. [38:53] A lot of members do believe that Jim Jordan is a fighter as far as that is concerned. [38:58] He's certainly tough, but he's also diplomatic. [39:01] And people believe, again, that in many matters he is fair. [39:05] You know, especially when it comes to, we can see, obviously, with what House Speaker Mike Johnson did with this narrow majority. [39:12] You know, this is obviously a lot quicker than the results than several years ago when I was standing here. [39:19] I mean, they were trying to get Kevin McCarthy to the top of the ballot. [39:23] But this is a rematch three years in the making. [39:27] They had paced off before for, again, this race for leadership. [39:32] And Jim Jordan has emerged here as victorious in all of this. [39:36] But certainly his work and his efforts as the House Judiciary Committee chairman are going to be very important on going in and fighting a Democratic narrative, again, of not only the referendum that voters... [39:50] Ladies and gentlemen, I think it's now public. [39:53] I think everybody's got the information. [39:55] Jim Jordan was elected Speaker-elect. [39:58] We're now doing the whip count. [40:05] Okay, the whip count. [40:06] Yeah, we're doing that right now. [40:07] Yeah. [40:08] All right, so we are... [40:09] Jim Jordan. [40:10] Okay, so we have officially announced here at the podium that Jim Jordan is elected. [40:14] Minority, I'm sorry. [40:19] We're now on the whip count. [40:22] We're now on the whip count. [40:24] Tom Emmer in August Luzer. [40:26] So we'll probably find out those results. [40:28] Thanks guys, thank you, I thought we were going to have more, I thought we were going to have more, sorry, I was like, oh, let's find out more, okay, thanks, thank you, thank you guys, okay, stand by, yep. [41:18] I did it. [41:24] Stand by. [41:27] Should I hear any programming or I'll hear a toss or a 40-20 seconds. [41:39] So all of that, and now we're only on the web now. [41:46] Yeah. [41:54] One, two, I'll go in there and kind of ask me. [42:07] Um, kind of thing. [42:10] Really? [42:11] Maybe, yeah. [42:15] Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll get out of here. [42:21] Stand by. [42:24] Okay, what's our next one, brief? [42:25] Yeah, yeah. [42:26] Yeah, that's right, well, an aide with the House GOP conference confirmed that Jim Jordan, in fact, was just elected as House Minority Leader for the next Congress. [42:58] And we are told that that vote tally was 106 to 73. [43:02] Of course, this was a secret ballot. [43:04] We know Jim Jordan, who's currently the head of the House Judiciary Committee, was running against Steve Scalise, who is number two currently in leadership, the second in line after Mike Johnson, he is the majority leader. [43:17] So, look, this was a very difficult decision for a lot of members, a lot of candidates were going to leave after this election, but it really was a decision among these members about whether or not to kind of stay the course with their current leadership or opt for change. [43:34] In the case of Jim Jordan, in the case of Jim Jordan, he was a change candidate. [43:38] He wrote his letter to members. [43:41] He laid out that he felt that Republicans would necessarily have to leave their plan. [43:45] He also talked about his role as head of the administration committee, that he felt that he was someone who could take on Democrats when it comes to oversight, particularly if they decide to be very aggressive about investigating the Trump administration. [44:00] And so that is why he pitched himself as what he said was a battle-tested candidate to serve as minority leader. [44:07] Now, Leader Steve Scalise, for his part, made the argument that, look, he has done this job, he has run the conference as majority leader, and in a variety of positions, and he knows this conference well. [44:19] And that his sole number one goal was to help House Republicans win back the majority in 2028. [44:26] Both Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan acknowledged that the election lockers last week were staggering. [44:33] So they acknowledged that there is some rebuilding that has to take place, particularly in the minority, but Steve Scalise, the argument to members that just because we are in the minority doesn't necessarily mean that we are powerless. [44:46] But clearly, in this case, he lost his bid to be minority leader. [44:51] Instead, Jim Jordan now earning that position. [44:54] There are still some other elections underway for other members on the leadership team. [44:58] So we should alert soon who the complete leadership team will be for House Republicans in January. [45:06] Well, interestingly, they were all candidates for speaker after Kevin McCarthy was booted by, you know, Lonnie Gerns a few years ago. [45:49] And so from that standpoint, they all threw their name into the hat at that time. [45:55] Steve Scalise, when he didn't get the votes, then it was on to Jim Jordan, when he didn't get the votes. [46:01] You know, we went down the line of several Republican leaders before. [46:04] Ultimately, Mike Johnson was selected to be the Michael House Speaker. [46:09] You know, Mike Johnson acknowledged that yesterday in a press scandal. [46:12] And some of this has really been lightened the journey for him, you know, where he was kind of grown from obscurity into the most powerful position here in the House of Representatives. [46:25] And he argued that he tried to confess to serve the House of Representatives. [46:29] And he passed the legislation, which is going to be filled with a large attack in his history. [46:35] So he is very proud of the work that Republicans have accomplished, but acknowledged that, yes, they did fall short. [46:41] So I think that's due to White Johnson as someone who really had to spread the needle between different factions in contrast to try to get to yes on some of these major pieces of legislation. [46:53] I hear, no, you're wrong. [46:54] It's going to be those that are out of the party lines for that reconciliation process. [46:59] Jim Jordan, as you point out, on the other hand, it really is that firebrand. [47:03] But I would also argue, you know, he spent a lot of time on the campaign for the last of White Johnson over the course of this campaign, [47:10] and really stumping the House Republican candidates out there in a number of different states for several weeks in the run-up to the election. [47:20] So he is also someone who has been very skilled in raising funds as well, [47:24] which is critical for anyone who serves as leader of their party as the White Johnson. [47:29] So there's some similarities there in terms of their ability to travel, to campaign, to raise money. [47:35] But in terms of their more public persona style, yes, they're a little different in the sense that Jim Jordan is certainly more of that firebrand. [47:45] I think it's important to kind of take it to Democrats, and again, as I mentioned a little bit better, [47:50] that was kind of the argument that he made that it was a battle testament to someone who would take on Democrats, [47:55] particularly in this area of oversight that we hear Democrats talk about. [48:00] They want accountability when they take on what they think of this next year. [48:05] So that's just kind of a sense of the dynamic of these two men, [48:09] but certainly, and yet, many members here today felt that if Jordan was a better choice in terms of selecting him as their next minority candidate. [48:34] Well, I think it really runs with him and him. [48:53] I think it still requires more of a discussion, and you can't figure this out in a two, three, four-hour meeting, right? [48:59] I mean, you can look over on the Senate side right now, [49:02] and that is the discussion that Senate Republicans are having in earnest about what went wrong in the election. [49:08] They're supposed to be electing their leaders, and they simply couldn't. [49:11] They had to kind of put their discussion on hold because so many people had things to say during their meetings. [49:18] They weren't able to take an expeditious vote. [49:20] They actually had to pause and do a recess before coming back for a broader discussion. [49:26] And so there was no vote. [49:28] So this is nothing that will be solved overnight, if you will. [49:32] But I think on the part of Republicans, we don't get to terms of what Mr. Johnson can feel. [49:39] And then he doesn't insist, even on the field. [49:42] He told me that, throughout the campaign, he said many times that he felt that he was showing Democrats ahead, [49:51] that they were caught, that they were wrong, that they were fooling. [49:55] And I asked him last night, well, what did you miss? [49:58] And he continued to insist that he still believes that some of those polls were wrong, [50:02] that Republicans were being undercounted in the data. [50:05] But at the end of the day, when the travel districts didn't develop issues on the ground. [50:10] And so we just acknowledged that the Belchior and some of these polls were off. [50:14] And he accepted responsibility for, you know, what happened. [50:20] But that being said, again, the Republicans are now in this rebuilding field. [50:24] And we've got to figure out what their priorities are. [50:26] I can tell you, I've claimed that they have made clear on many Republicans that they still want to pursue. [50:32] Also, you could try to get some legislation passed, whether that's on border security and trying to deliver there. [50:40] Maybe you could say that, trying to get another reconciliation package through the Congress for the end of the year. [50:46] Those are all things that some of the Republicans have talked about. [50:49] But also, as we look at that, again, into the year, I think there's still a lot of discussion about how they can be the most respected or minority going forward. [50:59] Understanding, again, that Democrats may be very aggressive when it comes to this issue. [51:04] How the accountability is for that challenge is really strong. [51:08] Well, I think we'll have to hear from members to see what their rationale was or why they supported leader, you know, Jordan over Steve's relief. [51:28] But, again, we will have to see how people came down on this and why. [51:34] But, as I mentioned, I think there was some real desire for change, you know, if they are going to rebuild, [51:41] that maybe it was better to do that with someone who has not been tied to the current leadership. [51:45] And that really would be the detail, if you will, for these reasons. [51:49] So, yes, he has served in a number of leadership positions. [51:52] So, I think that I think that Republicans knows this conference well and took good relationships with many people here in the House Republican Conference at the end of the day. [52:00] Again, it might not have been enough from the standpoint of if you're going to fundamentally do things different, you might want to go with a different candidate. [52:07] And, again, that appears to be how many of these were competing for the president's conference that came down today. [52:13] Thank you. [52:14] Thank you. [52:14] Thank you. [52:22] Thank you. [52:52] Thank you. [53:24] Thank you. [53:26] Thank you. [53:55] No, no. [54:11] No, no. [54:12] You're totally fine. [54:13] Jordan's staff was hoping to put one of their [54:16] . [54:17] Okay. [54:18] I think we can kind of wedge them right there. [54:20] Oh, I'll ask her what you close back. [54:22] Okay. [54:23] Awesome. [54:24] We'll just kind of give her a hand. [54:26] Okay, cool. [54:27] Thank you. [54:28] Well, they have the name of her. [54:29] Yeah, but this is the reason, [54:31] it's a very nice guy from the house. [55:04] Oh. [55:05] Oh. [55:06] Oh. [55:07] I just want to slide over. [55:19] I have a three o'clock glider in. [55:21] I can move it. [55:22] I can move it. [55:23] Yeah. [55:24] That's what we're saying. [55:25] Oh, yeah. [55:26] I can adjust that. [55:56] Oh, yeah. [55:57] Yeah. [55:58] Yeah. [56:00] Yeah. [56:01] Yeah. [56:02] Yeah, yeah. [56:03] Yeah. [56:04] Yeah. [56:06] Yeah. [56:09] Yeah. [56:10] Yeah. [56:13] Yeah. [56:14] Thank you. [59:51] Yeah, I'm just going to say, I mean, Tom Emmer has now reportedly secured the, yeah, I'll try to, yeah, I'll try to do this in the next few minutes and then try to get it done. [1:00:13] Okay. [1:00:32] Hey, guys. [1:00:36] Great. [1:00:36] I'm glad we have another update for you guys. [1:00:38] Yeah. [1:00:39] So, okay, I'm seeing it in multiple places that Emmer has been elected to return his house majority with. [1:00:47] I told Dennis, I just called Dennis, yeah. [1:00:56] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [1:01:03] All of those are just fine. [1:01:11] Yeah, yeah, those are all of those are just fine to continue to talk around this. [1:01:18] Okay, great. [1:01:28] Okay, yes, guys, I've got Dennis, Dennis. [1:01:58] Okay. [1:01:59] Okay. [1:02:00] No need to pay to report that. [1:02:11] I've confirmed it. [1:02:13] Yeah, confirmed. [1:02:14] Uh-huh. [1:02:14] Bye. [1:02:15] Bye. [1:02:15] Yep, yep, I got you. [1:02:45] Katrina, good to be with you. [1:03:46] More on George Floyd in just a moment. [1:03:49] And I can now confirm Newsmax has now independently confirmed that Tom Emmer will retain his position, [1:03:55] but now as minority whiff. [1:03:58] This is going to be crucial to uniting the conference. [1:04:01] And clearly, this was a vote of confidence in the job that he's already done during the 119th Congress. [1:04:08] Somebody that, again, can whip those votes and unify surrounding the GOP conference agenda [1:04:14] as they try to crawl back to the majority in the next two years. [1:04:18] Let's recap for our viewers what's happened in the last hour. [1:04:21] Jim Jordan has officially secured, again, the leadership position, House Minority Leader, [1:04:28] and that was a vote that was 160 to 73. [1:04:32] Jordan's victory, though, as you guys mentioned at the top, [1:04:35] signals a change in direction after Republicans lost the House. [1:04:39] A founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Jordan, [1:04:42] has built his reputation certainly around taking on Democrats during his position on the Judiciary Committee. [1:04:49] Now he's preparing to go on the offense as Democrats gear up to investigate the Trump administration. [1:04:55] And again, as we've just reported, Tom Emmer has won the race for Republican whiff, [1:05:00] defeating Texas Congressman August Luker. [1:05:04] Emmer will serve as Jordan's number two, helping keep Republicans in line on key votes [1:05:09] as the party adjusts to life in the minority. [1:05:12] Now, one leadership fight is still outstanding right now. [1:05:16] Lisa McLean, Aaron Houchin, and Greg Stuby are battling it out for conference chair. [1:05:21] McLean obviously kept her cards very close to the best when talking about the overall leadership reach, [1:05:28] wanting to maintain neutrality in his role. [1:05:32] So we can certainly talk about the top two leadership teams, Jordan and Emmer. [1:05:37] This will be certainly significant. [1:05:40] And I think the question remains, will Jordan be able to unite the conference [1:05:45] after this bruising loss in the midterms? [1:05:48] And will he be able to craft an agenda that will help them fall back to the majority of Katrina's box? [1:06:01] We're off or not? [1:06:24] Should I talk? [1:06:41] I lost the box. [1:06:42] Did you guys ask me anything? [1:06:44] Sure, sure, I can. [1:06:46] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [1:06:48] Okay, okay. [1:06:49] I just can't hear it. [1:06:50] I don't have any sound, though. [1:06:56] Right, I know, but I don't have – I lost my audio during the hit, [1:06:59] so I'm not connected to the program anymore. [1:07:02] I think the doctor is trying to reestablish right now. [1:07:08] Okay, okay, do it. [1:07:10] They want us back for a panel. [1:07:21] Are you guys going to want to do anything coming out of this presser? [1:07:24] The – sorry. [1:07:29] Yeah. [1:07:35] Yeah. [1:07:37] Yeah. [1:07:38] Yeah. [1:07:40] Yeah. [1:07:40] Yeah. [1:07:40] Yeah. [1:07:40] Yeah. [1:07:41] Yeah. [1:07:44] Yeah. [1:07:44] Yeah. [1:07:48] Yeah. [1:07:49] Still on the house. [1:07:57] What's that? [1:07:57] Hey. [1:07:57] Yeah. [1:07:57] Yeah. [1:07:57] Yeah. [1:07:58] Yeah. [1:07:58] Yeah. [1:07:58] Yeah. [1:08:00] Yeah. [1:08:00] If you need to – [1:08:02] I need to be patient today. [1:08:02] You don't want to be patient. [1:08:03] Hi. [1:08:05] Is she sure? [1:08:07] She said. [1:08:12] Is that … [1:08:16] Yep, yep, I'm back. [1:08:49] I didn't of that. [1:08:54] Oh, I'm a son of science. [1:08:56] Good job. [1:08:57] Yeah. [1:08:58] Yeah. [1:08:59] Thank you. [1:09:00] I got to ask your question. [1:09:24] Yeah. [1:09:26] Yeah. [1:09:27] Yeah. [1:09:27] I think that that is a really good point, Bob, because he is somebody that has been able to reach across the aisle and has been very measured in his approach to these investigations. [1:10:54] He's not somebody that has conducted himself toward other members on the other side of the aisle with any sort of animosity. [1:11:01] He certainly has been aggressive in his investigations into Democrats and certainly formerly the Biden administration, but I think he's somebody that is fair and measured. [1:11:11] But as you mentioned, this was certainly a referendum on where the party should go from here. [1:11:17] They want to change in direction. [1:11:19] I think what's interesting is that the whole process takes place via secret ballot. [1:11:23] House Speaker Mike Johnson was telling us he hopes that they make a decision that they're going to rally around and unite the conference right now to be able to push through what they want to accomplish in the lame duck session and then regroup for how they're going to battle Democrats in the minority. [1:11:42] Certainly, this was a large vote of confidence when you look at that vote. [1:11:45] He got over 100 votes in this, so we can't actually say by any stretch of the imagination this was close. [1:11:51] But certainly, they're wanting to put somebody on the offense and they're going to be a fighter. [1:11:56] And obviously, the secret ballot process is not something that where people have to voluntarily give up their votes so that they can unite immediately after this. [1:16:59] Guys, I'm right here. Hold on. [1:17:26] I'm going to go all back. Hey, sir. [1:17:30] Now, Bianca, we have been getting all of this information from inside the room. [1:18:32] This is still a closed-door meeting and a secret ballot. [1:18:36] But obviously, there have been leaks to the press about some of the results here. [1:18:40] The first one was obviously Jim Jordan's victory over Steve Scalise, which was a rematch three years in the making. [1:18:47] As you mentioned, it wasn't really that close. [1:18:49] The final breakdown was 106 to 73, signaling that the Republican conference wants a real change here. [1:18:56] Certainly, Jordan is viewed as somebody that is a fighter who will go on the offense. [1:19:00] We have seen, and you and I have covered extensively his work on the House Judiciary Committee with investigations dating back to the Biden administration, [1:19:09] leading a subcommittee on the so-called weaponization of the federal government, [1:19:13] and certainly somebody that is fighting corruption, a message that we heard from a lot of voters in the midterms [1:19:19] that were concerned about levels of corruption. [1:19:21] And that's going to be very much needed here when Democrats launch these investigations against President Trump, [1:19:28] the Trump administration, members of Trump's family. [1:19:30] And again, as we're seeing right now play out, the Hexen, the thesis resolution only put forward by a Republican congressman, [1:19:42] an outgoing one in that. [1:19:44] So this is who the Republican conference is putting their vote of confidence in. [1:19:49] So this signals a deviation from the establishment and the leadership. [1:19:53] Now, we also saw, however, that Tom Amher has retained his position as the Republican Whip, [1:20:01] but this is going to be in the minority. [1:20:03] This is going to be uniting an even smaller conference, a smaller number of lawmakers here, [1:20:09] and that will be very significant. [1:20:11] He beat out August Luther for this race, who is the chair of the Republican Study Committee, [1:20:17] somebody who's also very well liked on Capitol Hill and very respected, [1:20:22] somebody who has broken down these issues in granular detail, [1:20:26] has met with various cabinet members, [1:20:28] and also is known to be somebody that unites the conference. [1:20:32] But Tom Amher took the victory over that. [1:20:35] Now what we're waiting on is essentially the House Republican conference chair. [1:20:40] Lisa McLean is the current chair of the party, [1:20:42] and she is going up against Aaron Couchen and Laura Congressman Greg Stewie. [1:20:48] We understand that that secret ballot is happening now. [1:20:50] And there's a few other races, and then they're going to presumably come out here [1:20:54] and give us an update on where the party will go from here [1:20:58] and the choices they have made in the leadership. [1:21:01] But I think the process of this being a secret ballot is very significant, [1:21:05] given the fact that, you know, they don't want to have hurt feelings at the end of this [1:21:09] because they need to be able to unite and do their job. [1:21:12] So we're at the podium up here. [1:21:14] We're waiting for some updates, some formal updates, [1:21:17] not straight from, again, the candidates themselves. [1:21:21] I'm sure maybe first out of the gate we'll be hearing from Jim Jordan [1:21:23] about how he plans to unite the conference with the authority, [1:21:27] how he plans to reach the majority in 2020. [1:21:31] Do we need to wait for a point? [1:21:32] We need to hold a single record. [1:21:35] I guess I know he just wanted to be able to pass. [1:21:37] He didn't hold a single record. [1:21:40] We need to move ahead. [1:21:41] He just tweeted it. [1:21:41] We need to have a name of your file. [1:21:43] Okay. [1:21:44] What about one? [1:21:45] Sure. [1:21:47] He's lost. [1:21:48] We can restart it. [1:21:51] Yes. [1:21:52] Oh. [1:21:53] It's doing our data. [1:21:55] Yeah. [1:21:58] We need to wait. [1:21:59] Are you ready? [1:21:59] I went to the right side. [1:22:00] Yeah, and this is just going to be a procedural vote, Bianca, and we're looking for our viewers [1:22:11] to know that this isn't going to be impeachment itself, but this is certainly going to dictate [1:22:18] where this effort goes from here. [1:22:20] It could very well die. [1:22:22] There could be certainly a motion to table, or this could be referred to the committee. [1:22:26] What happened this evening for us this procedural hurdle, though, will be very much an indication [1:22:32] of whether this effort was put forward by Republican Congressman Thomas Massey [1:22:37] has successfully laid out some great detail used to be these people who didn't do everything [1:22:41] from what they used to be of violations of congressional authorization from the board [1:22:47] and on to these crimes on this legislation, both in the Caribbean, and that retaliation [1:22:52] and that he believes in the department has exacted against Senator Mark Kelly. [1:22:58] What is going to be interesting to watch here is the Republicans that could potentially sign [1:23:03] on to this and not the one that you would think. [1:23:06] You know, obviously we know that retiring Republicans are a little bit more outspoken, [1:23:11] but we could potentially see some votes from Republicans who nearly won their election. [1:23:16] and we'll have to go on the record in two years from now and see whether they continue [1:23:22] to put their faith in board Secretary Peake's heads [1:23:25] and the administration considers further striking. [1:23:27] So we're fine. [1:23:37] Mine are all caps and cookies. [1:23:39] Mine are all caps and cookies. [1:23:46] But this is great. [1:23:49] I see there are five. [1:23:49] Hmm. [1:23:53] I know it depends on. [1:23:57] It depends on. [1:24:03] There's a couple of things. [1:24:04] Oh, no, no, no, no, okay, okay, I was like, I was like, what are you, oh, no, no, no, [1:24:31] no, no, no, no, no, no, no, [1:24:45] I was like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. [1:24:50] Thank you. [1:25:23] Thank you. [1:25:54] Thank you. [1:26:25] Thank you. [1:26:57] Thank you. [1:27:27] Thank you. [1:27:58] Thank you. [1:28:32] Thank you. [1:29:07] Thank you. [1:29:51] Thank you. [1:30:47] Thank you. [1:31:47] Thank you. [1:34:19] Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, Joe Buccino with House Conference. [1:34:23] So we're going to hold the press conference, obviously, which is what we're kind of waiting [1:34:27] on here. [1:34:28] Once the Republican Policy Committee chair election is complete, the seven elects will come out [1:34:35] here. [1:34:35] We'll have three remarks from minority leader, we'll have three remarks from minority leader [1:34:39] elect Jim Jordan, minority whip elect Tom Emmer, and then house Republican conference chair, [1:34:44] Lisa McClain. [1:34:45] There'll be no questions. [1:34:46] They'll each make a speech and then they will depart the area. [1:34:49] Okay? [1:34:50] Thanks. [1:34:52] It's happening. [1:34:54] It's happening. [1:34:55] No, they still have to get through the remaining four elections. [1:34:58] So the speaking order is here on the podium. [1:35:01] If anybody's based on the timing. [1:35:07] I think it's going to be more than an hour. [1:35:29] I think it's going to be more than an hour. [1:35:31] I think we're 30 minutes out. [1:35:34] Okay. [1:35:35] So we still have the four remaining elections to get through. [1:35:46] So if you anticipate the amount of time it's taken thus far, I think it'll be between 40 [1:35:51] minutes and an hour and 15 minutes from now. [1:35:54] When I think we're 30 minutes out, I'll come back out here. [1:35:58] Okay? [1:36:00] All right. [1:36:01] And then the speaking order, if you're interested, is up here. [1:36:04] And again, I'm sorry, just no questions. [1:36:05] We'll have three remarks and then depart the area. [1:36:08] All right. [1:36:10] Thank you. [1:36:32] It's going to be Jim Jordan, Tom Emmer, and then Lisa McClain. [1:36:37] And then they're going to each give brief statements. [1:36:40] They're not going to take any questions, and then they're immediately leaving the area. [1:36:45] And he'll give us a heads up when they're getting closer too. [1:36:48] So if you want to send out like a little advisory on the presser. [1:36:56] No problem. [1:36:57] Okay. [1:36:58] Is that better? [1:37:39] Is that better? Move it that way? [1:37:49] Move it this way? [1:38:39] That statement is going to be . [1:38:51] Yep, got it done. [1:38:54] Okay, here we go. [1:38:55] Okay, thanks. [1:39:10] Thank you. [1:39:11] Thank you. [1:39:43] Thank you. [1:39:44] Thank you. [1:39:45] Thank you. [1:39:58] Okay, that was good. [1:39:59] Okay, that was good. [1:40:11] I'm feeling . [1:40:18] Thank you guys. [1:40:20] I know. [1:40:21] But we're in a grata. [1:40:23] I know. [1:40:24] can you hear here and they'll be speaking testing one two three we need [1:40:57] tape testing one two three [1:41:35] see it [1:42:31] I bet that collector says USA Today [1:42:33] do you want to brought down [1:42:35] you come back [1:42:37] yeah [1:43:02] up [1:43:21] yeah [1:43:25] yeah [1:43:37] yeah [1:44:02] yeah [1:44:06] so yes me too [1:44:30] yeah [1:44:30] yeah [1:44:36] yeah [1:44:37] yeah [1:44:52] oh yeah [1:45:33] yeah [1:45:45] yeah [1:45:54] yeah [1:46:01] yeah [1:46:02] yeah [1:46:03] yeah [1:46:10] so [1:46:13] Are you? [1:46:16] Do you want to record that? [1:46:18] Let's get over the top contenders. [1:46:21] Oh, my gosh. [1:46:27] I know. [1:46:28] It hurts so bad. [1:47:20] Testing one, two, three. [1:47:24] Testing one, two, three. [1:47:27] Testing one, two, three. [1:47:29] Testing one, two, three. [1:47:32] Testing one, two, three. [1:47:33] Are you, uh, tell me if you want me to do another sound check. [1:47:40] Yeah, one of us can. [1:48:26] Sorry. [1:48:27] I'm just kidding. [1:48:30] People live, can I turn it up? [1:48:32] That would happen. [1:48:33] Yeah, yeah, yeah. [1:48:34] We're not going anywhere. [1:48:36] And by the way. [1:48:38] I'm going to survive live with me in the minority. [1:48:41] I'm going to end the bottom now. [1:48:49] I'm just trying to pull up my, yeah. [1:49:00] My knee's grip hasn't come in yet. [1:49:02] I'm digging. [1:49:04] No, you're good. [1:49:06] Yep. [1:49:21] Three, two, one. [1:49:28] After a bruising midterm defeat. [1:49:30] Testing, testing. [1:49:32] Testing, testing. [1:49:33] Testing, testing. [1:49:35] Testing, testing. [1:49:36] Yeah. [1:49:37] Three, two, one. [1:49:39] After suffering a bruising midterm defeat, House Republicans have chosen a different direction. [1:49:42] oh no okay three okay three two one okay testing testing testing [1:50:15] after suffering a bruising midterm defeat house republicans have chosen a different direction [1:50:22] handing jim jordan a victory over steve scalise and it votes 106 to 73 with tom emmer and lisa mclean [1:50:30] helping navigate life in the minority now jordan's victory signals a shift in direction [1:50:35] after republicans lost the house a founding member of the conservative freedom caucus [1:50:44] hold on one second 106 to 73 okay three two one after a bruising midterm defeat house [1:51:15] republicans have changed direction heading jim jordan a victory 106 to 73 over steve scalise [1:51:23] with lisa mclean and tom emmer helping navigate life in the minority jordan's victory signals [1:51:30] a shift in direction after republicans lost the house a founding member of the conservative [1:51:35] house freedom caucus jordan built his reputation taking on democrats from the judiciary committee [1:51:41] now he's preparing to go on the offense the democrats gear up to investigate the trump [1:51:45] administration tom emmer has secured the number two leadership john defeating texas congressman [1:51:50] august pflueger for republican whip emmer will help jordan keep republicans united on key vote [1:51:56] as the party adjusts to life in the minority lisa mclean has won the race for conference chair [1:52:01] defeating aaron houchen and greg steuby mclean told me earlier that she was switzerland mclean told me [1:52:08] earlier she was switzerland in the jordan scaly showdown now she'll help shape the republican message as [1:52:14] the party looks to recruit the question now is the question now is can this new team turn a republican defeat [1:52:35] into the question now can this new team turn a republican defeat midterm defeat [1:52:51] right the question now can this new team turn a republican defeat into a my brain is dead right [1:53:01] now the question now is can this new team turn a midterm defeat into a republican comeback [1:53:14] i'm kilmeny ducart reporting from capitol hill for news banks let's send ahead and on just a case [1:53:35] i'm just sending head nods just in case now at the end because you never know testing testing [1:55:18] testing testing give me the wrong okay sorry they want to talk to me [1:56:03] hello [1:56:35] sure yes yes yes yes yes okay cool thanks somebody calling us [1:56:52] yep i got you guys yeah [1:56:57] yep one two three four five [1:57:02] hey seth how's it going [1:57:15] i can i can if you want to back tag uh we had andy and i had divided on those but i'm happy to talk [1:57:20] about it i can how about you want me to just conclude my report with it or start at the top [1:57:25] with it i mean i've been angled on just the house races but if you want me to talk about it i can [1:57:44] yeah that'd be cool that that would actually be cool because then it'll like look better as a [1:57:53] backpack with bretta and then she can talk to the side i like that it's cleaner no i'm talking about [1:58:03] yeah yeah yeah yeah that's what i'm saying you have read a backpack my report with the student [1:58:07] update yeah i think that's cleaner yeah amen [1:58:44] him navigating life minority now certainly jordan was chosen as somebody who could go on the offensive [2:03:58] and certainly a fighter and that of course founding member of the conservative house freedom caucus [2:04:04] jordan has built his reputation taking on democrats in his role on the judiciary committee [2:04:09] now he's preparing to go on the offense of democrats and gear up for their investigations [2:04:14] into the trump administration then you had tom ember who secured the number two leadership job [2:04:20] defeating texas congressman august flueger for wicked whip ember will help jordan keep up against [2:04:26] united on key votes as the party again adjusts to life in the minority then lisa mcclein has won the [2:04:32] race for conference chair defeating aaron houdin and break newbie mcclein told me earlier that she [2:04:37] was switzerland that came to the jordan skillets showdown now she'll help shape the republican message [2:04:43] as the party looks to regroup here certainly one of the biggest questions here is can they unite [2:04:50] test test test [2:04:51] okay but it's connected okay all right hey 20 minutes about 20 minutes 20 minutes [2:05:04] brief statement the senate side public instead of majority leader john soon retaining his position [2:05:21] albeit after some delays and again the ballot to be posted over on the senate side he will be a minority [2:05:30] leader in this next conference [2:05:47] i'll be there yeah [2:05:51] a hundred percent he just told me 20 minutes but yeah when it gets closer i'll flag okay no worries [2:05:57] thanks [2:06:19] i got it now [2:06:24] Well, the new leadership team will be coming out here shortly. [2:06:52] They're wrapping everything up in there. [2:06:54] And it was a great day for the House Republican Conference. [2:06:57] I'm really excited for our team. [2:07:00] It's a great slate of candidates, and some extraordinary people were elected. [2:07:05] Jim Jordan will be the new Republican leader going into the 120th Congress. [2:07:09] I'll finish this up as speaker, wrapping up the assignment all the way through January [2:07:14] until the new Congress takes their oath of office January 3rd. [2:07:17] But Jim and I go back a long ways, and so do Steve Scalise and I. [2:07:22] I regard both of these men as more than colleagues and friends. [2:07:26] They're brothers to me. [2:07:27] Jim was a mentor of mine when I first came to Congress 10 years ago, and we worked alongside [2:07:33] one another all these years. [2:07:35] I was his right-hand man in judiciary before I was elevated to be Speaker of the House. [2:07:40] And, of course, he ran for Speaker the first time, and he's always been regarded as a leader [2:07:45] by the conference, and he's going to do an extraordinary job. [2:07:48] So there's good feelings in there. [2:07:50] Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan will both tell you that they are also very close friends and brothers, [2:07:56] and it was good feelings all around that this conference, this Republican team, is ready for the fight. [2:08:02] And they are encouraged. [2:08:04] They are unified. [2:08:06] And I'm very excited about the days ahead. [2:08:08] We have a lot of work to do. [2:08:09] The Democrats who will be taking over in the majority, I fear, are going to run a very harmful agenda for the American people. [2:08:16] I think they're going to do retribution. [2:08:18] I think they're going to spend endless hours and all the time in Congress investigating people that are political foes, [2:08:25] and that does not serve the American people. [2:08:27] They're going to do absolutely nothing to bring down cost or help on affordability or anything that they claim to be running on. [2:08:34] That's my prediction. [2:08:35] I hope I'm wrong, but I think that's where we're headed. [2:08:37] Now, we've got a lot more work to do to wrap up and complete the 119th Congress and to do it well. [2:08:43] There's a lot of big agenda items that are still out there, [2:08:46] and we're going to work around the clock here. [2:08:49] I certainly will and everyone on the House side to get our job done. [2:08:52] And we hope that particularly, let me be specific, [2:08:56] Democrats in the Senate will assist in moving some of the big legislation that is there. [2:09:01] You might have seen my comments yesterday, and we tabulated as of when we came back after the election. [2:09:08] We passed in this Congress, the Republicans leading the House, [2:09:11] passed 1,000 measures across the House floor, 1,000 bills are over there. [2:09:15] In the Senate, almost 700 of them, I think the number is around 680 to be precise, [2:09:22] are stacked in the hopper, as we call it. [2:09:24] They're just stacked up in the Senate awaiting action, and some of those are big, important things. [2:09:29] You know, big bills that have always traditionally been bipartisan, [2:09:32] and Democrats in the Senate refuse to do their job. [2:09:35] They refuse to move, allow the legislation to move to the floor [2:09:38] because the majority the Republicans had was a small one. [2:09:41] They didn't want to give the President a win. [2:09:44] They didn't want to give Republicans a win going into the election, [2:09:47] and that's a real shame because they did not serve the American people. [2:09:49] So we'll see what they're going to allow to go through. [2:09:52] We are willing to work with anyone in good faith to get those important measures over the line [2:09:57] and to finish this Congress strong. [2:09:58] I'm really hopeful that we'll do that. [2:10:00] What's your advice, Mr. Speaker, what's your advice to Jim Jordan [2:10:05] about keeping this sometimes often very divided conference together, [2:10:10] and how much more difficult will that be when Republicans are in the minority? [2:10:14] Well, I talk to Jim about that a lot, [2:10:16] and we just spoke in the back of the auditorium here today about that. [2:10:19] I think this group will be unified. [2:10:22] It is, in a sense, I mean, you all know politics on Capitol Hill. [2:10:25] It is easier to keep a group together when you're in the minority. [2:10:27] It just is because you're opposing the legislative agenda, typically, of the majority party, [2:10:33] and there will be a lot to oppose in the upcoming Congress with these Democrats in charge. [2:10:38] So in a way, the job in that way is a little less complicated. [2:10:43] When you have a small margin and you're in the majority [2:10:45] and you're expected to run an aggressive legislative agenda, as we did, [2:10:49] that is a complicated thing because you've got to keep everybody there [2:10:52] and keep them on board and get them to yes, and we did that. [2:10:55] And, you know, I mentioned yesterday in my remarks is in spite of the razor-thin margin [2:11:00] that we had in most of this Congress [2:11:01] and in spite of the fact that we had just historic levels of obstruction by the Democrats, [2:11:05] as I mentioned, they shut the government down, remember, three times. [2:11:08] They had the two longest shutdowns in U.S. history, 120 days in total. [2:11:13] They tried to obstruct everything we were doing, [2:11:14] and yet we had this incredible record of achievement in the 119th Congress, [2:11:19] largest tax cut in U.S. history for working and middle-class earners. [2:11:23] We had the largest spending cut in history, [2:11:25] cutting fraud, waste, and abuse and inefficient government. [2:11:29] We brought back peace through strength and American energy dominance. [2:11:33] We secured the border tight. [2:11:35] All the big issues in 2024, we checked the boxes. [2:11:38] We added one million private sector jobs in the economy. [2:11:41] We brought about the lowest poverty rate in the history of that data being recorded. [2:11:45] We have the safest American streets, the lowest violent crime rate we've had in 126 years, [2:11:51] the most secure border in, I think, a half century. [2:11:54] We have Trump accounts for newborns. [2:11:56] We have reshoring of manufacturing for the U.S. [2:12:00] Made in the U.S.A. is a thing again. [2:12:02] We cut all the taxes on tips and overtime and save seniors taxes on Social Security. [2:12:07] I mean, it just goes on and on and on, and we have a lot that we're very proud of. [2:12:11] Lowest, biggest decline in prescription drug costs in 60 years. [2:12:14] I mean, that's because elections have consequences. [2:12:17] That's because we ran on promises and we kept those promises. [2:12:21] And it wasn't enough in this election cycle. [2:12:23] But there's ebbs and flows in politics in America. [2:12:26] It will swing back our way, I think, very quickly, [2:12:29] because you're going to see the contrast that we were talking about on the campaign trail, [2:12:33] the contrast between common sense and crazy. [2:12:35] And I think you're going to see a crazy set of circumstances and legislative agenda [2:12:39] with the Democrats in charge. [2:12:41] I think the election of Jim Jordan is a sign of the members' confidence in him. [2:12:52] I mean, both of these candidates got big, big, big packs of support. [2:12:58] But Jim is a known entity, a trusted voice, a trusted leader. [2:13:03] He's an honest broker. [2:13:04] He's a good man. [2:13:05] He's a fighter. [2:13:06] And I think that that's the signal that is being sent here, that we are ready to dig in for the fight. [2:13:12] And I think Jim is going to do a great job with that. [2:13:14] Well, I think the dynamics will be different this time. [2:13:24] I mean, I inherited the gavel in an unprecedented circumstance. [2:13:28] I mean, there had never been a speaker removed from the office mid-Congress in the history of the institution before. [2:13:33] So there was no playbook. [2:13:34] So people ask me all the time, what was it like? [2:13:37] I said, it was like being elected mayor of a town that had been hit by a nuclear bomb, honestly. [2:13:40] Like, you know, and then they go here, congratulations, Mr. Mayor, go get the water running. [2:13:44] Well, wait, the pipes are gone. [2:13:45] You know, I mean, that's – we had to rebuild it. [2:13:47] So my experience was probably different than anybody before. [2:13:53] Jim knows how to do this. [2:13:54] Jim Jordan knows how to do this. [2:13:55] He's been around a long time. [2:13:55] He's been a leader a long time. [2:13:57] He's led caucuses. [2:13:58] He's been a chairman of two major committees, oversight and judiciary. [2:14:02] That would be a particularly helpful experience for him to have in the season that we are about to enter with lawfare on steroids from the Democrats. [2:14:09] I think he's going to do very, very well. [2:14:11] And, you know, he was originally, as I mentioned, one of my mentors when I came to Congress. [2:14:16] So I have high confidence, and he'll be able to do this well. [2:14:19] Have you seen Jim Jordan's way, because he was not a member of his way, as in part a repudiation of your – [2:14:27] No, he – Jim and I have been close from the day I got to Congress. [2:14:34] We're one and the same in that regard. [2:14:36] And I used to seek his counsel all the time and then vice versa, and he was a big part of what we did in the 119th Congress. [2:14:43] We would not have been able to deliver all the wins we did if he and I were not united on that. [2:14:48] So, no, I don't think anybody sees – no one in that room sees it that way, and nor does he or I. [2:14:53] I'm not going to tell you how I voted. [2:14:54] I told you they're both my brothers, but I will say Jim's going to do an extraordinary job. [2:14:59] And it just occurred to me. [2:15:03] Now, that's a crying shame, I'll tell you that. [2:15:05] He says no more Southerners in leadership. [2:15:06] But these are – it's a good group. [2:15:09] I'm very confident in this leadership group. [2:15:11] I love them all. [2:15:12] We don't see things regionally in our conference. [2:15:15] They're all my dear friends, and I trust this group. [2:15:18] I think they're going to lead well, and they're going to show the country that Republicans are going to stand by the core principles of America. [2:15:24] And to me, at the end of this, that's what this is all about. [2:15:27] I mean, we are defending the founding principles of the greatest nation in the history of the world, and it's not even close. [2:15:32] We're the most free, most successful, most powerful, most benevolent nation that has ever been. [2:15:36] But you cannot take those foundations for granted. [2:15:38] We will not always be the greatest nation if we do not defend those principles that made us who we are. [2:15:43] And I am concerned that in today's Democrat Party, there is a rising number of people who have disdain for the founding principles of America, [2:15:51] and they have a very different idea for what America should be. [2:15:54] And so that is going to be the contest in the days ahead. [2:15:56] Are we going to go down a dark, dangerous road to socialism and communism, which is a deadly road? [2:16:01] Remember, Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto. [2:16:04] He used socialism and communism interchangeably because he said that socialism was a step to get to communism, which he called utopia. [2:16:12] They believed that was the perfect society, and we know that's a dangerous fool's errand because every single time that's been attempted in history, [2:16:17] it has led to human suffering and poverty and misery and even death. [2:16:21] And the communists responsible for the murder of tens of millions of innocent people in the 20th century alone. [2:16:25] It is un-American. [2:16:27] It is anti-American. [2:16:29] And as long as we're here, the Republican Party will stand for what is American. [2:16:32] We're going to defend those principles against anyone who tries to tear them down. [2:16:36] So that's the showdown coming for the 120th Congress, so buckle up. [2:16:52] Well, look, I think it's a sign of the strength of the candidates, and I don't think you read too much into that, [2:16:56] but those leaders are tried and tested and true, and it is my great delight now to yield the podium to your new Republican leader, [2:17:05] Mr. Jim Jordan, and the team over here. [2:17:08] Jim, come on in. [2:17:13] Not at all. [2:17:15] Over the next two years, House Republicans will fight for American families. [2:17:20] When Democrats offer more government, we'll offer more freedom, [2:17:22] and we will bring that fight in committee, on the floor, and on the stump every single day. [2:17:30] I want to thank my colleagues for their support, [2:17:35] and I want to introduce our current whip and next Congress's whip, [2:17:40] the gentleman from Minnesota, Mr. Tom Emmer. [2:17:47] Today is not a day for celebrating. [2:17:50] We lost last Tuesday, and I take it personally, as do my colleagues. [2:17:55] I fought for these seats as the NRCC chair and worked like hell to keep them as the majority whip. [2:18:02] We're going to do it again. [2:18:03] Over the next two years, we will regain the trust and confidence of the American people [2:18:09] so we can build back our majority in 2028. [2:18:12] To our colleagues on the left, enjoy this honeymoon phase, [2:18:17] because come January 3rd, 2027, you will regret ever putting your name on a ballot. [2:18:23] House Republicans will hold each and every Democrat accountable for every vote cast, [2:18:28] every committee hearing held, and every sentence set on MSDNC. [2:18:34] This Republican leadership team will expose the Democrats' lies [2:18:38] and show the American people their true colors as the radical communists that they are. [2:18:43] We will expose every empty promise that they made to voters. [2:18:47] We will expose Democrats' economic agenda that will make housing, food, gas, and health care more expensive. [2:18:53] We will expose the Democrats' sanctuary state open border policies, [2:18:59] all that will make our communities less safe. [2:19:02] Not only will we ensure the American people know who these people really are, [2:19:07] but House Republicans will put forth an agenda that speaks directly to the American people. [2:19:12] Policies that actually lower the price of goods, increase wages, create affordable housing, [2:19:18] and give every American the opportunity to build their American dream. [2:19:23] With this House Republican team, I am confident we will win back the trust and confidence of the American people in short order. [2:19:30] We will undo the damage and chaos caused by these radicals, and we will retake the majority in 2028. [2:19:37] And those of you who are smiling right now, remember we told you this back in 2018, [2:19:42] as we were going into 2019, and nobody thought we could, and we did. [2:19:46] We are going to do it again. [2:19:47] I want to thank my colleagues for trusting me, and I look forward to getting to work with this new leadership team, Jim. [2:19:54] And with that, I turn it over to our current conference chair and incoming conference chair, [2:19:58] Lisa McClain from Michigan. [2:20:00] Thank you. [2:20:00] I'm honored that my colleagues have placed their trust in me to continue to serve as the Republican House conference chair. [2:20:12] I want to take a moment to introduce you to some new faces behind me. [2:20:16] First of all, we have our secretary, Mark Alford. [2:20:18] We have Brian Jack, who will chair the NRCC. [2:20:22] We have Jay Obernolte, who will still be our policy chair. [2:20:27] Blake Moore, who will still continue to serve as my vice chair. [2:20:32] And you all know our current speaker, who we love dearly, Mr. Mike Johnson. [2:20:36] We had a spirited leadership election. [2:20:45] There were important conversations about the future of our conference. [2:20:48] And I listened, I heard the concerns raised by members, and I intend to act on them. [2:20:55] Now that the election is behind us, we are one conference. [2:20:59] And we have one mission. [2:21:01] To earn back the trust of the American people and take back this House. [2:21:07] We have seven weeks before the next Congress begins, and we cannot waste one single day. [2:21:14] Democrats may have the majority, but we must, and we will, go on offense day one. [2:21:21] We're going to hold Democrats accountable. [2:21:24] We're going to challenge their policies, and we're going to give American families a compelling reason to put Republicans back in charge. [2:21:35] Democrats have already made their priorities clear. [2:21:39] And it's not affordability. [2:21:40] Remember, that's what they ran on. [2:21:42] The first thing they said was, lawyer up. [2:21:46] Tell me how lawyering up helps anybody with affordability, right? [2:21:52] Watch their actions, not their words. [2:21:55] They're going to be focused on going after President Trump. [2:21:59] We are going to be focused on improving the quality of life for every American. [2:22:04] We have the opportunity to show the American people what Republicans stand for, what we're fighting for, and why we deserve their trust. [2:22:14] That is our mission, and that work starts today. [2:22:18] Thank you very much. [2:22:19] I enjoyed that. [2:23:10] All right, I'll see you around. [2:23:11] Thank you. [2:23:12] All right.