House GOP Struggles to Find Speaker as Trump Remains Indifferent

Despite being more in sync with Rep. Jim Jordan to be the next House Speaker, Donald Trump did not make any vigorous effort on Jordan's behalf. When the Republican conference nominated Rep. Steve Scalise instead, Trump could have shown his clout and put Scalise in his debt, but he didn't. Scalise dropped out of the race due to too many GOP defectors. The article argues that Trump is the only leader with a durable following within the modern Republican Party, and until his future is resolved, there will be no return to normalcy in American politics. The speaker's race is seen as a fight at the margins, with little power or dignity.