Trump warns GOP against tapping 'RINO' Tom Emmer for speaker: 'Tragic mistake!'

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Republicans against picking Minnesota GOP Rep. Tom Emmer to become the next Speaker of the House.

The Republican conference picked Emmer as its speaker designee earlier on Tuesday, slowly eliminating the myriad other contenders in a rapid succession of votes. He still faces opposition from the conservative wing of the conference and Trump's admonition is likely to bolster opposition to his leadership.

"I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors. RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them," Trump posted on Truth Social. "He never respected the Power of a Trump Endorsement, or the breadth and scope of MAGA—MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! He fought me all the way, and actually spent more time defending Ilhan Omar, than he did me—He is totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters."

"I believe he has now learned his lesson, because he is saying that he is Pro-Trump all the way, but who can ever be sure? Has he only changed because that’s what it takes to win?" he continued. "The Republican Party cannot take that chance, because that’s not where the America First Voters are. Voting for a Globalist RINO like Tom Emmer would be a tragic mistake!"

Trump on Monday night largely offered supportive words for the myriad candidates seeking the post, though he had insisted he planned to generally stay out of the leadership contest. Reports emerged late last week that Trump opposed Emmer's candidacy.

He has since quipped that only Jesus Christ could win over enough support in the divided Republican conference.

"If Jesus came down and said, ‘I want to be Speaker,’ [H]e would do it. Other than that, I haven’t seen, I haven’t seen anybody that can guarantee it," he said this week.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.