Speaker Trump? He will need to secure an absolute majority in the House

It’s unclear if former President Trump will again run for the Oval Office in 2024.

The Constitution is silent when it comes to the qualifications of the speaker. Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution simply states the following: "The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers." The speaker is the first government official listed in the Constitution, long before the president. The concept of a "Senate Majority Leader" never entered the congressional vocabulary until the early 20th century. So, the speaker is a pretty big deal. And, because the Constitution is silent on how the House elects its speaker, it's up to the House to pick the speaker the way it sees fit.That's why some lawmakers have floated the possibility over the years of electing a speaker who was not a member of the institution.In other words, if you're former President Trump, why bother with running against Lois Frankel when you could leapfrog into the speaker’s suite?Members have voted for various non-House members over the years. Among those scoring votes: Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., former Comptroller of the Currency David Walker and retired Gen. Colin Powell.Some House conservatives flirted with the idea of running a non-House member several years ago when they tried to bounce former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. The same conversation emerged in hushed tones after Boehner announced, mid-Congress, that he was retiring. That was before Republicans convinced Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to enter the fray. One name that popped up a couple of times was the late columnist Charles Krauthammer.But much of that was just idle prattle. Many lawmakers were reluctant to go with an outsider because they probably couldn't prevail in a speaker's race and it would set a bad precedent. The House has never tapped an "outsider" as speaker, despite the loophole that permits the body to tap a non-member.So, we know the goal of Kevin McCarthy to become speaker. But nonetheless, is such a pie-in-the-sky scenario even plausible for former President Trump?