Elon Musk as US House Speaker? GOP lawmakers back Tesla CEO amid tensions with Mike Johnson over spending bill

Amid the Republican revolt in Congress against Speaker Mike Johnson's government spending bill, calls for a DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) Speaker have grown louder in the two or three days. Both Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's names have been floated as the new Speaker as Mike Johnson's spending bill drew backlash from MAGA. Infact, some GOP lawmakers are calling for President-elect Donald Trump's 'first buddy' Elon Musk to become the House speaker.

Elon Musk has been gathering support from various corners for the post of Speaker--the idea was first floated by Republican Kentucky senator Rand Paul. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Mike Lee have also supported the idea. But Can Elon Musk become the Speaker as he's not a natural-born citizen of the US? And what does the US Constitution say?

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Elon Musk as House Speaker?

On Thursday, Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, proposed that Musk’s election as House Speaker would “disrupt the swamp” in Washington. The suggestion was made on Musk’s own social media platform, X (formerly Twitter).


"The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress . . . Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it . . . nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds)," Rand Paul posted Thursday.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene echoed this sentiment, stating she would be “open to supporting” Musk for the position to enforce “real government efficiency” in Congress, as mentioned in the report by Forbes.

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Speaking on Fox, Mike Lee made a prediction that Mike Johnson would not retain the post next year and it would go to either Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy. "I don't think the speaker is going to remain in power," Lee said predicting a DOGE Speaker. "Vivek, Elon if you're watching, please sign up, America needs you," Lee said. DOGE will cease to exist in July 2026 going by its deadline.

The growing calls for Elon Musk as a US House Speaker came among a growing dissatisfaction among Republicans over Mike Johnson's support for a government funding bill. President-elect Donald Trump criticized the bill as “ridiculous and extraordinarily expensive,” further fueling discussions about a leadership shakeup.

What does the US Constitution say?

Elon Musk was born in South Africa and he is not a natural-born US citizen. He came to the United States in the 1990s and became a citizen in 2002. But that does not stop him from becoming the Speaker.

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There's no requirement that the speaker of the House be a natural-born citizen of the United States. So, this means it is entirely constitutional for Elon Musk to be elected Speaker of the House. The US Constitution does not mandate that the Speaker must be a member of the House of Representatives or even an elected official as mentioned in the report by Forbes.

Historically, no outsider has ever assumed the role, but Musk would not be the first non-legislator to be suggested.

In 2023, then-Representative Matt Gaetz voted for Donald Trump to become Speaker following the ousting of Kevin Mcarthy.

The constitutional requirement for the Speaker post is only that the person has to be chosen by the House of Representatives. So Musk could serve as the House Speaker if he got the support and votes to do so. But there will be conflicts of interest with the number of businesses that he is running.