Former President Donald Trump is emerging as a wild card in the race for the next speaker of the House, potentially tipping the balance as the party tries to unite behind a candidate and avoid another grueling fight.

       Early Friday morning, Trump weighed in with his endorsement, backing Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) to succeed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, after the California Republican was ousted earlier this week. Trump said Jordan would be “a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!"

       The backing of the 2024 GOP front-runner for president could give a boost to Jordan in his race against House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R., La.), who has racked up his own slate of endorsements. Still, Jordan is a divisive figure within the House GOP and could have a hard time uniting the party, which is eager to put this week’s turmoil behind it. Many members are also weary of Trump and his continued influence over the Republican conference, with some representing districts won by President Biden in 2020.

       As of Friday, the race remained wide open. While several dozen members have publicly announced their picks, many influential members hadn’t given their endorsement. Some members have said they want commitments from speaker candidates to change the rule that currently allows any single member to call for a vote to oust the speaker, which they see as putting the speakership perpetually at peril from a small minority of the party.

       Candidates will need a majority of the conference to become the party’s nominee.

       McCarthy won the conference vote to be the party’s nominee for speaker, but it took him 15 rounds of balloting to win the speaker’s gavel in January. There remains no clear path for any current candidate to get a majority of the full House. Republicans have a narrow 221-212 margin.

       The race heats up next week. Fox News will host Scalise, Jordan and Rep. Kevin Hern (R., Okla.) in a joint interview on Monday night. Hern—the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a large group of GOP lawmakers—has said he plans to run, but hasn’t formally entered the race. House Republicans plan a closed-door forum on Tuesday, followed by a conference vote on their nominee as soon as Wednesday. It isn’t known when the vote of the full House would be.

       Trump’s statement comes as speculation was swirling about how deeply he wanted to get involved in the speaker race. While he has backed McCarthy in the past, he didn’t lobby on his behalf, issuing only a tepid statement saying Republicans should stop fighting among themselves. Some hard-right Republicans have floated the notion that Trump could step in as speaker for several months as a compromise candidate, which is seen as very unlikely.

       On Thursday, Trump told Fox News Digital he would accept an interim role as speaker while Republicans settle on a replacement. Trump also said he would travel to Washington on Tuesday to speak with House Republicans. But Trump’s aides have yet to confirm a visit as of Friday morning.

       Jordan allies seized on the endorsement, saying it showed that the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, a longtime Trump ally, was gaining momentum in the race.

       “I’m proud to have President Trump joining me in endorsing Jim Jordan for Speaker!" said Rep. Jeff Duncan (R., S.C.) on social media. Rep. Barry Moore (R., Ala.), who backs Jordan, posted: “I believe we should listen to the leader of our party."

       Jordan, 59, has worked to advance policies on the far-right spectrum of conservative ideology. He helped found the House Freedom Caucus, which is considered the most conservative group within the chamber’s Republican party, but later became allies with McCarthy.

       Scalise, 58 years old, who ranks as the No. 2 House Republican as majority leader, is seen as a conservative who has built good relationships with members of different viewpoints as the party’s GOP whip from 2014 to 2022. Colleagues say his personal relationships throughout the party could help unify its deep divisions, but there are still questions about his health, after he survived a shooting in 2017 and today is undergoing treatment for blood cancer.

       Scalise said Friday his doctors have given him the green light to run, and he was continuing to have conversations with colleagues about how to get the party back on track.

       “There was anger. There was a lot of frustration. There still is. And we’ve got to work through that, you know?" he said on Fox News.

       Alex Leary and Kristina Peterson contributed to this article.