Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) will not be returning to Congress.

Gaetz, according to the Associated Press, made the announcement on Friday.

This has come as a massive surprise to many, including both Republicans and Democrats. While the Republicans lose one of their most pro-Trump, anti-establishment voices in the U.S. House Of Representatives, the Democrats lose one of their favorite targets.

The big question now is what the future holds for Gaetz.

Background

Suffice it to say that it has been a tumultuous couple of weeks for Gaetz. It began when President-Elect Donald Trump chose Gaetz to be the next attorney general of the United States.

Upon being nominated by Trump, Gaetz immediately resigned from Congress - a move that was even more surprising than the nomination.

Subsequently, a backlash ensued against his nomination. This was not that surprising, considering that Gaetz is a controversial figure. Detractors attempted to get the release of a House Ethics report that supposedly contains wrongdoing by Gaetz. The report has yet to be released, and Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.

After some days passed, Gaetz met with members of the U.S. Senate, members who would have been tasked with accepting or rejecting his nomination. It was after this meeting that Gaetz decided to withdraw his name from consideration for the attorney general position.

I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback - and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance…

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 21, 2024

The latest

After Gaetz withdrew his name, the big question that arose was what his future would look like - would he, for example, be able to regain the congressional seat that he gave up.

In order for this to happen, Gaetz would have to win a special election, and it is likely that he would be able to. However, Gaetz has now indicated that he has decided to move on from Congress.

In a recent interview, Gaetz said:

I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress.

The former congressman went on to add that he has "some other goals in life that I’m eager to pursue with my wife and my family."

At the time of this writing, there is no clear indication as to what Gaetz's future holds.