Kentucky Senator Rand Paul has publicly endorsed Elon Musk as the next Speaker of the House, asserting that the role does not require the officeholder to be a member of Congress.
In a statement posted on his official X account on Thursday, December 19, Senator Paul proposed the idea as a bold move to disrupt Washington’s political establishment. “The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress,” he wrote. “Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it . . . nothing’s impossible. (Not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds).”
The suggestion comes during a challenging period for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is under fire from Republican colleagues over his handling of a year-end government spending deal.
On Tuesday, Johnson supported a measure spearheaded by Democrats to fund the government through March 14. The $100 billion package includes disaster relief, $10 billion in economic aid for farmers, healthcare reforms, and measures for ticketing transparency. However, prominent Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance, condemned the deal in a joint statement Wednesday, calling it “the most foolish and inept thing” Republicans in Congress have ever done.
Elon Musk, who is set to co-lead Trump’s incoming administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), also criticized the spending bill, taking to X to denounce its provisions. “This bill should not pass,” Musk wrote, adding that any lawmakers supporting it should be “voted out in 2 years.”
In response to the backlash, Speaker Johnson’s office is reportedly working on a revised spending plan to appeal to Trump’s MAGA base and avert a potential government shutdown ahead of Friday’s deadline.
Senator Paul’s unconventional endorsement of Musk has sparked debate, with some viewing it as a symbolic protest against traditional Washington politics, while others question its feasibility and seriousness.