Conservatives furious as Trump ally plots his comeback

During Joe Biden's presidency, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) had a reputation for being a MAGA firebrand. Jordan was highly performative during hearings, often defending Donald Trump in a highly inflammatory way and hurling countless insults at Democrats.

Jordan had that reputation even before Trump became the most prominent figure in the Republican Party. First elected to Congress in the 2006 midterms, the Ohio congressman was described as a "legislative terrorist" by former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) during Barack Obama's presidency. And Boehner wasn't a fan of Jordan's in-your-face antics.

But Jordan, who now chairs the House Judiciary Committee, is much calmer during hearings these days and isn't resorting to as many theatrics.

Politico's Mia McCarthy, in an article published on April 6, details Jordan's plan to reclaim the "spotlight" in his party.

"Jim Jordan has spent much of the past year out of the House GOP spotlight," McCarthy reports. "Don’t expect that to last."

Jordan, McCarthy notes, "rose to prominence as a headline-grabbing conservative firebrand" but "saw that reputation work against him when he made a failed bid for the speakership in 2023."

Jordan also ran for GOP leader in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, losing to then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California).

"Among Jordan's admirers is (Kevin) McCarthy himself, who soundly beat Jordan in the last House GOP election for a minority leader in 2018," Mia McCarthy explains. "The two men then formed an alliance that persisted even after a small group of conservative hardliners tried to block McCarthy from the speakership. When the group rallied behind Jordan as an alternative, Jordan rejected the idea and instead gave a nominating speech for McCarthy."

Kevin McCarthy resigned from Congress after being ousted as speaker. Now, in 2026, he believes Republicans should keep a close eye on Jordan.

The former House speaker told Politico, "Some people would go and quit if they didn't win. I watched him go help and elect people who were not good to him, who he had every reason to try to go and defeat then but he didn't.”

However, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, interviewed by NOTUS on condition of anonymity, is disappointed that Jordan, in 2026, isn't as much of a firebrand as he was in the past.

The Freedom Caucus member told NOTUS, "Jordan has become milquetoast…. It's disappointing to have watched him water himself down and not take up any kind of real fights. The FISA bill is a perfect example. That's not the Jim Jordan that a lot of people remember. He's basically watering himself down, changing his views, in order to move himself in the middle. I hope that this is just a temporary thing, but he's not the fighter that he once was."

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