Although some of Rep. Jim Jordan’s supporters in his House speaker bid have praised him as a “fighter,” the Ohio Republican belatedly suggested playing nice on Wednesday as his chances of winning the speakership seemed to wane.
Support for the fiery conservative declined in a second round of voting Wednesday and could reportedly dwindle further on future ballots. Meanwhile, some of Jordan’s Republican colleagues, like Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon, said they or their family members had received anonymous and threatening messages that they should vote for Jordan if they didn’t want to be primaried.
The combination of events put Jordan in an awkward position on Wednesday night. Well, awkward for him, anyway, because this partisan-politician-among-partisan-pollticians was forced to call for, ugh, unity.
“No American should accost another for their beliefs,” Jordan wrote on X. “We condemn all threats against our colleagues and it is imperative that we come together. Stop. It’s abhorrent.”
No American should accost another for their beliefs.
We condemn all threats against our colleagues and it is imperative that we come together.
Stop. It’s abhorrent.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) October 18, 2023
But Jordan’s calls for unity struck many people on social media as insincere for a variety of reasons.
Lol… never once heard Jordan say anything like this until now. He’s going to try and pretend to be decent and fair now? Why’s that Jim? You hoping everyone forgets who you are? How you have behaved for 16 years in Congress? GTFOH https://t.co/JrEpXmgfzE
— On A Bender (@on_bender) October 18, 2023
NBC News reporter Sahil Kapur noted that Jordan only posted his unity statement after Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks vowed online not to support a “bully.”
One person suggested that Jordan’s post needed a teeny-tiny tweak to be more accurate.
No American should accost another for their beliefs.
We condemn all threats against our colleagues and it is imperative that we come together.
Stop. It’s abhorrent.
[***WINK***] https://t.co/cVIWJcJK9h
— AK Lingus? But he died on this night in 1880 (@aklingus) October 18, 2023
Another noted the challenges that come with having to ask your supporters to stop making death threats.
Bacon, the Nebraska Republican, also had something to say in response to Jordan’s vaguely worded statement.
“Holy crap, it must have been absolutely terrible if someone was accosted and @Jim_Jordan is actually acknowledging it happened,” he wrote on X. “What happened?”
Holy crap, it must have been absolutely terrible if someone was accosted and @Jim_Jordan is actually acknowledging it happened.
What happened? https://t.co/MNaYRqutAu
— Rep. Don Bacon 🇺🇸𝕏 Nebraska 2nd District Parody (@DonBaconNE02) October 18, 2023