Trump broke political norms by refusing to make his returns public while running for president voluntarily. So instead, former President Trump is celebrating Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) victory after 15 rounds of voting."
Trump claims credit for McCarthy's election as Speaker
On Tuesday, the Democratic-controlled House committee on Ways and Means agreed to release former President Donald Trump's tax returns, raising the prospect of further revelations about the longtime businessman's finances in the coming days.
However, former President Donald Trump declared his candidacy for president for the third time on November 15, 2022, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla.
Trump said on Saturday in a post on his Truth Social platform that the Fake News Media was, believe it or not, quite generous in their reporting that he significantly assisted Kevin McCarthy in attaining the job of Speaker of the House."
"Thank you very much; I did our country a great favor!"
Reports throughout the days-long voting process indicated that Trump may have successfully persuaded some of McCarthy's GOP adversaries.
There was speculation of Trump's political clout being lessened when Republicans opposed to McCarthy's Speakership candidacy rebuffed Trump's urge to support him.
According to The New York Times, Trump called Rep. Matt Gaetz late Friday night, whose "present" vote clinched McCarthy's defeat on the 14th ballot. In addition, CNN reports that the former president met with Rep. Andy Biggs, another strong McCarthy opponent.
On the night McCarthy was elected Speaker, Trump spoke with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who was seen in a widely circulated photo attempting to hold her phone up to Rep. Matt Rosendale, one of McCarthy's last remaining adversaries.
The caller ID in the picture said "DT," and Greene later confirmed that it was Trump on the other end of the line. McCarthy lauded Trump while speaking to reporters after he won the gavel, adding, "I don't believe anybody should dispute his influence. He was there for me from the start."
