Trump backs McCarthy as Republican faces uphill battle for House speaker – live

McCarthy falls short in three rounds of voting after not winning support from far-right members of Congress

Good morning, Guardian readers!

Yesterday, Kevin McCarthy failed to secure enough votes to be the GOP House speaker, the first time in 100 years where a nominee hasn’t won enough votes during the first ballot.

Some really good conversations took place last night, and it’s now time for all of our GREAT Republican House Members to VOTE FOR KEVIN, CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY, & WATCH CRAZY NANCY PELOSI FLY BACK HOME TO A VERY BROKEN CALIFORNIA,THE ONLY SPEAKER IN U.S. HISTORY TO HAVE LOST THE “HOUSE” TWICE! REPUBLICANS, DO NOT TURN A GREAT TRIUMPH INTO A GIANT & EMBARRASSING DEFEAT. IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE, YOU DESERVE IT. Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, and maybe even a GREAT JOB - JUST WATCH!