Former President Donald Trump was "very effective" while in office, Rep. Jim Banks said Sunday, but he wouldn't say if he'll endorse him for president in 2024 because it's too soon to make that call and because he's still "unpacking" what happened to GOP candidates in the midterm elections.
"I believe he could be a very effective president for our country again," the Indiana Republican said on Fox News' "Fox News Sunday." "I'll save my endorsement for another time for the 2024 race," he said.
Banks is in the running for the GOP majority whip spot for Republicans in the House, where he's competing with Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., for the key role.
He said Sunday when asked if Trump's expected presidential race announcement on Tuesday will be good or bad for the Republican Party, that GOP candidates do better when he's also on the ballot, as he "remains a very popular figure" among party members.
Banks also said that while many of Trump's endorsed candidates in Senate races across the country lost, resulting in the Senate remaining under a Democrat majority, other candidates he backed won as well.
"The 2024 primary is in front of us, but we're still unpacking what happened last Tuesday," said Banks.
Meanwhile, Banks said he'll support House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as the next House Speaker, as "his experience is what we need right now."
McCarthy "has been the whip, has been the majority leader, the minority leader, and now he is going to be the speaker," Banks added. "We need someone like him who can pull the conference together."
Rank-and-file members, he continued, are trying to be heard more; and as the next few years will be"complicated and challenging," members from all over the nations must be heard.
"To get anything done, we need to listen to members from all over the country," Banks said. "The Republican Party conference is more diverse than ever before ... Leader McCarthy is working through that process with the rules for changes. We will have our rules conference meeting and revote on the rules in the middle of this upcoming week."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.