House Republicans almost came to blows in an hours-long all-conference meeting on Thursday, with Jim Jordan’s bid for speaker hanging on by a thread. 

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., got into a near-physical altercation as emotions reached a tipping point during the three-hour meeting. 

Bost was allegedly blaming Gaetz for ousting Speaker Kevin McCarthy over two weeks ago and plunging the House into disarray and cursing him out. Gaetz said Bost later apologized for getting emotional. 

The House has been paralyzed for 16 days as Republicans scramble to find a candidate that can get 217 votes – an increasingly hard feat with the divisions with their conference. 

Gaetz described the meeting ‘like a Thanksgiving dinner’ with Bost being the drunk uncle. 

House Republicans almost came to blows in an hours-long all-conference meeting on Thursday, with Jim Jordan’s bid for speaker hanging on by a thread

‘The whole country I think would scream at Matt Gaetz right now,’ said McCarthy

At one point, Gaetz stepped up to the microphone to speak to his colleagues and McCarthy told him to ‘sit down.’ 

‘I told him to sit down and he sat down,’ McCarthy told reporters. ‘I think the entire conference screamed at him.

‘The whole country I think would scream at Matt Gaetz right now.’

Gaetz was the one who launched a vote to oust McCarthy two weeks ago, and since then the House GOP has burnt through two speaker candidates, with Jordan’s bid for the top job hanging on by a thread. 

He was also asked if former Speaker Kevin McCarthy yelled at him for leading the effort to oust him, to which Gaetz replied: ‘Well, you know he loses his temper sometimes, maybe it’s the Irish in him. But I actually think it was a productive discussion.’ 

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Meanwhile, a handful of members, including Texas Republicans Nathaniel Moran and Lance Gooden along with Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, told the conference Jordan should step down.  

Jordan said after the meeting he needs to talk to his wife and the 20-some Republicans who oppose him before calling a vote for his third shot at the speaker’s gavel. 

He then hopes to call for a third ballot, but some moderates have warned that Jordan could bleed even more votes. 

Jordan had wanted to bring a resolution to the floor to temporarily empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry to bring up legislation. McCarthy, who supports Jordan, also supports the plan. 

The move would allow McHenry to move legislation like spending bills and support for Israel with a month until the government shuts down again. It would take the urgency away from the speaker’s race, allowing Jordan to take more time to court votes. 

Rep. Matt Gaetz , R-Fla., above, and Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., got into a near-physical altercation as emotions reached a tipping point

Bost was allegedly blaming Gaetz for ousting Speaker Kevin McCarthy and plunging the House into disarray and cursing him out

It could have also allowed McHenry to take up the hot-button issues like funding the government for 2024 and bringing up Ukraine aid. 

But now, members say that plan is ‘dead’ after it became clear it did not have broad support from Republicans or Democrats. 

Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the House’s number two Republican, and Whip Tom Emmer, number three, are both against the move to empower McHenry.

DailyMail.com reported that Scalise is quietly working to undermine Jordan’s bid for speaker. Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, the House’s number four Republican, is also against the effort. 

The resolution to empower McHenry would need sign-on from Democrats, who have not embraced it widely.