Most of the Republicans who voted against McCarthy this week were endorsed by the former president before the 2022 midterm elections. Most of them also subscribe to his view that Biden’s presidential victory was rigged,or are part of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus,or both.

And many are fuelled by the anti-establishment fervour that accompanied Trump’s rise to power in the first place,seemingly more interested in torching the current leadership structure than legislating. Indeed,far-right congressman Matt Gaetz even nominated Trump to be Speaker,thanks to bizarre House rules allowing anyone to be named as a candidate,regardless of whether they are in office.

“If you want to drain the swamp,you cannot put the biggest alligator in charge of the exercise,” Gaetz said of his refusal to back McCarthy.

That said,McCarthy’s sycophantic embrace of the former president has also helped to seal his own fate.

It’s hard to forget how the California Republican rushed to Mar-a-Lago days after the 2021 attack on the Capitol to support Trump in the hope it would boost his chances to clinch the speakership he’s wanted for years.

Now,thanks to the Republicans’ worse-than-expected performance at the midterms,Trump’s influence has waned,and McCarthy is increasingly dependent on the votes of the hard-line rebels in his ranks.

The question is,what happens next?

Congress remains at a standstill thanks to a group of people who represent less than 10 per cent of 222 House Republicans. While some,like Gaetz and his “Never Kevin” allies Lauren Boebert and Andy Biggs won’t ever support McCarthy,other holdouts claim they are willing to negotiate.

The aim,they say,is to reduce the size and scope of government,decentralise power from the Speaker’s office and overhaul the way the House works so rank-and-file members have more influence over legislation.

But McCarthy has already spent weeks trying to woo his detractors by offering a range of concessions in the hope of securing the 218 votes he needs to win the gavel.

He agreed to remove metal detectors around Capitol Hill. He agreed to give members of the Freedom Caucus more seats on the powerful House Rules Committee,allowing them to assert greater influence over amendments that can be considered – or blocked – in the chamber.

And on Thursday,he even crossed his own “red line”:tentatively agreeing to a contentious deal that would allow a single member of the House to force a snap vote that could oust a person from the speakership. If adopted,such a move would ensure that his leadership – or whoever ends up as Speaker – would be significantly weakened.

And still,it wasn’t enough to move a single vote in his favour. In a party hijacked by extremists,will it ever be enough? McCarthy is banking on it as the war of attrition continues.

“It’s not how you start,” he said defiantly tonight. “It’s how you finish.”

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