The U.S. House of Representatives, mired in a chaotic leadership battle, rejected Republican Kevin McCarthy's bid to lead the chamber two more times on Wednesday as a small group of holdouts in the party defied former President Donald Trump's call for unity.

Despite Trump's appeal, McCarthy fell short in consecutive votes on Wednesday for House speaker after losing three votes on Tuesday, as roughly 20 Republicans on the party's right flank refused to back a candidate they deemed ideologically unreliable.

McCarthy's backers promptly moved to a sixth vote, though it was unclear what path - if any - the congressman from California had to secure a majority. The last time the House failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot was 1923.

The leadership fight has provided a dismaying start for the new Republican majority in the House after the party managed to secure a slim majority in the chamber - 222-212 - in the November midterm elections. The internal struggle underscores the challenges the party could face over the next two years, heading into the 2024 presidential election.