Republicans appoint staunch Trump supporter as House party leader

Rep. Elise Stefanik, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, was chosen Friday as the new House Speaker for the Republican Party seeking to unite amid an explosive debate over his leadership.

“Thank you to my colleagues for electing me to office,” said Stefanik, 36, after announcing that she will be the party's No. 3 in the House of Representatives and the most powerful Republican in Congress.

“My focus will be on unity,” he told reporters.. “The American people know that the stakes are high,” he said, noting that one of the main goals of the Republicans is to have a coherent discourse to recover the majority in the House of Representatives lost in the 2020 election.

“We will fight … every day against the destructive, radical, leftist, agenda of President Joe Biden and [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi that is destroying America,” he said.

His appointment was announced two days after Liz Cheney, a conservative daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, was removed from office for her insistent criticism of Trump and her refusal to support unsubstantiated allegations of fraud in the November elections.

Trump, who with Stefanik's appointment strengthened his management of the party, congratulated her on her “overwhelming victory.”

The House party “is united and the Make America Great Again movement is strong,” the former president said.