The United States House of Representatives ended his day on Wednesday without being able to designate his president, despite the fact that former president Donald Trump asked his followers to put an end to the divisions in Republican ranks when it came to choosing the “speaker.”

Internal antagonisms in the slim Republican majority persisted and after six unsuccessful votes since Tuesday, congressmen agreed to suspend sessions until Thursday noon local time (5:00 p.m. GMT).

The great favorite to replace the Democrat Nancy Pelosi is the republican Kevin McCarthybut a core of about 20 congressmen from the most conservative wing blocks his election in the House.

This small but intransigent group wants to take advantage of the fact that the party only has a slim majority after the mid-term elections in November to impose its conditions.

Without your support, McCarthy cannot be elected.

The United States wants “a new face, a new vision, a new leadership,” said one of them, Chip Roy of Texas.

McCarthy, 57, has acceded to many of the group’s requests, but remains deadlocked.

Not even the intervention of Trump this Wednesday he was able to make them change their minds.

On his social network, the former president asked the party to “avoid a shameful defeat.”

“It’s time for all of our great Republican members of the House to vote for Kevin” because “he will do a good job, and maybe even a great job,” he posted.

But the opposition seems to crystallize.

There is no compelling rival to shadow McCarthy, with a seat for California. The only name that circulates as a possible alternative is that of the head of the Republican group, Steve Scalise, but for the moment without much possibility.

Among the non-refractory, a certain unease begins to be perceived.

“This all seems messy,” admitted Mike Gallagher, who is close to McCarthy. “But democracy is messy…it’s a feature, not a bug, of our system.”

The choice of president of the lower houseknown as “speaker”, the third most important position in American politics after the presidency and vice presidency, requires a majority of 218 votes, but McCarthy did not exceed 203.

This situation, unprecedented in the last 100 years, completely paralyzes the institution. Without a president of the chamber, congressmen cannot take the oath and therefore pass any bill.

Nor can the Republicans open the many investigations they had promised against the president, Democrat Joe Biden.

Advantage for Biden?

The situation is “shameful,” said Biden, who warns that “the rest of the world” is watching the situation closely.

Amid sarcastic laughter and applause, the democrats they seem to be enjoying themselves during the votes in the chamber.

Biden’s party is united around the candidacy of Hakeem Jeffries, but this congressman also does not have enough votes to be elected.

Voting will continue until a president comes out, something that can take hours or weeks, as happened in 1856, when it took two months and 133 rounds.

A hostile but divided chamber could be bliss for Biden if he confirms his intention to run for president again in 2024, a decision he is expected to announce earlier this year.

The Democratic president traveled this Wednesday to Kentucky to praise the construction of a huge new bridge financed by a mammoth infrastructure bill that he pushed through in part with some Republican votes in Congress.

Ironically, he was accompanied by the leader of the Republicans in the Upper House of Congress, Senator Mitch McConnell.