If there’s one thing House Republicans can agree on it’s that House Republicans can’t seem to agree on anything. Which is how congress has ended up without a Speaker for more than two weeks, with seemingly no end to the madness in sight. The way Jimmy Kimmel sees it, the biggest problem facing the GOP in their current quest to see Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) replace Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as House Speaker is, well, Jim Jordan.
“Trump’s little wrestling buddy [is] having a hell of a time trying to get elected speaker,” Kimmel shared on Tuesday night, just hours after Jordan failed to get the 217 votes he needs to take the title.
While noted Jordan supporter Donald Trump spent part of the morning stumping for his pal—who he described as “a fantastic young man,” “pretty young still,” and “very strong”—even that was not enough to get the Ohio congressman to the finish line. “Turns out, there’s something about being a loser that really suits Jim Jordan,” said Kimmel.
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While the House is scheduled to try, try again on Wednesday, Kimmel’s hearing that “one of Jordan’s biggest hurdles is that no one likes him. No one in the world likes him.”
“A lot of Republicans were apparently turned off by the fact that, during their closed-door meeting last week, Jordan told his colleague, Steve Scalise (R-CA), ‘America wants me,’ and stormed out the door,” Kimmel continued, adding that “I bet Scarlett Johansson wants you, too.”
The bigger issue, as Kimmel sees it, is the irony of Jordan wanting to be the voice of anything at all. “Because when he was a wrestling coach at Ohio State, there was a doctor sexually abusing the student athletes,” the host explained, noting a 2018 claim made by former wrestlers of the institution. Jordan has repeatedly denied the allegations. “According to multiple, very credible witnesses—including at least 11 former members of his team—Jordan knew all about it, but didn’t say anything,” Kimmel added. “A man who is famous for not speaking up would like to be Speaker. It’s really something.”
