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By Monica Sager
Live News Reporter
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What's New
A group of conservative lawmakers are floating the idea of replacing Speaker of the House Mike Johnson with billionaire Elon Musk.
Newsweek reached out to Musk's press team for comment.
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Why It Matters
The United States Constitution does not lay out any provisions suggesting that the House speaker must be a member of Congress. While the position has always been given to a House member, the lack of ruling essentially means that anyone who meets the requirements for the office may be considered for nomination.
Lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives have recently toyed with having billionaire Musk take on the role. This follows Johnson receiving pushback from Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump and Musk, for his proposed government spending bill.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, both Republicans, have sparked the conversation on X, formerly Twitter.
"I'd be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House," Greene posted. "DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency."
Greene, who tried to oust Johnson in May, posted a poll to her @RepMTG account on Thursay asking social media users if they would support Musk for the speaker position. As of press time, the poll had received over 52,000 votes.
Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, said on The Benny Show that new congressional leadership is needed. He encouraged House lawmakers to "go outside of the box," suggesting Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tapped to co-lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
"That would revolutionize everything," Lee said.
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What To Know
The House speaker, the majority political party leader, is responsible for presiding over House meetings and maintaining the order and rules of the legislative branch. The speaker can also set the House's agenda, choosing which bills will be considered and voted on.
They are the next in line after the vice president for the presidency. Musk, however, does not qualify for the presidency since he was born in South Africa. The president has to be born in the United States.
The House speaker election occurs on the first day of a new Congress. Members of Congress cast their votes for a speaker, and the clerk of the House tallies the lawmakers' opinions.
A candidate must receive a majority of the votes from the present members of the House to become the speaker, as laid out by the first rule of the House Rules and Manual, also called Jefferson's Manual.
Current House Speaker Mike Johnson was elected in October 2023 after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out.
Musk has been an ever-growing presence in U.S. politics, with Kai Trump, the president-elect's granddaughter, even saying he had been promoted to "uncle status" in a family photo after the election.
Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, reportedly joined Trump in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He also spent Election Day at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida and has reportedly had a near-constant presence at the resort since the Republican's win against Vice President Kamala Harris.
Musk and Ramaswamy were at the Capitol last week to speak with lawmakers—mostly Republicans, according to the Associated Press. The DOGE heads discussed budget-slashing proposals and other ways to cut programs and "Save America."
What People Are Saying
Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, on X: "The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress...Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk."
**Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, on X: "**The House controls policy and appropriations (spending) and can cut programs, departments, agencies, as well as make new laws like term limits and pass a balanced budget amendment. DOGE could become the legislative branch."
**Senator Mike Lee, on The Benny Show: "**I think new leadership in the House is almost inevitable. If that's the case, I think we need to go outside the box. I think we need to look in a different place."
Senator Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, on CNN: "I don't tell the House what to do. I'm not sure anybody can. I'm sure with 435 members over there, you're going to hear lots of different opinions. That's the way the Founding Fathers wanted it."
Jon Cooper, majority leader of the Suffolk County Legislator, on X: In news that should surprise absolutely no one who's paying attention, the first member of Congress has called for Elon Musk to replace Mike Johnson as House speaker."
**Bloomberg reporter Steven Dennis, on X: "**Thomas Massie, fwiw, is a huge Elon Musk fan. He owns an early Model S. His home runs off a hotwired crashed Tesla battery. He owns one stock: Tesla. And he wants a new Speaker of the House."
What Happens Next
The 119th Congress is scheduled to meet in Washington on January 3. The lawmakers will begin their term 17 days before President-elect Trump is sworn into office.
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