Trump endorses Mike Johnson as Home speaker

President-elect Donald Trump has endorsed Home Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in an effort to rally Republicans across the congressional chief because the get together is slated to grapple with a razor-thin margin within the forthcoming 119th U.S. Congress. 

In a assertion posted to Fact Social Monday, Trump delivered a message to congressional Republicans, urging them in all capital letters to not “blow this nice alternative which we now have been given.”

After noting how his get together swept the swing states within the presidential election and received the favored vote, he contends Individuals want “instant reduction from the entire damaging insurance policies of the final Administration.”

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Trump praised Johnson, a religious Baptist, as a “good, exhausting working, non secular man” who will “do the precise factor,” expressing confidence that “we are going to proceed to WIN” below his management.

“Mike has my Full & Complete Endorsement,” he added.

Trump’s advocacy on behalf of Johnson comes because the Republican-controlled Home of Representatives is slated to elect a speaker on Friday. Following the 2024 election, Republicans received 220 seats whereas Democrats received 215. Nevertheless, the variety of Republicans in Congress will begin at 219 because of the resignation of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. 

With Democrats anticipated to again Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., for speaker, Johnson has little room for defections from members of his personal get together. One congressional Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, wrote on X Monday morning that “I will not be voting for Mike Johnson.” 

Trump’s endorsement of Johnson didn’t seem to persuade Massie to alter his thoughts.

“I respect and help President Trump, however his endorsement of Mike Johnson goes to work out about in addition to his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan. We have seen Johnson associate with the democrats to ship cash to Ukraine, authorize spying on Individuals, and blow the finances,” he declared in a subsequent publish. 

Responding to a reply to his preliminary X publish, Massie outlined how he believes “the politics are such that nobody else will run for Speaker” till “Mike Johnson concedes that he cannot be Speaker” and “Trump weighs in.”

Massie will not be the one Home Republican who could not again Johnson.

In an interview on “Fox & Pals” Monday, Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., indicated that she may not help Johnson for Speaker. She stated Johnson should decide to “President Trump’s agenda” and expressed doubts about whether or not he would really work to implement the coverage priorities of Trump and Republicans primarily based on his tenure.

“He dedicated on the Home flooring to have a fiscal fee so we now have [a] plan for [the] debt ceiling enhance,” she recalled.

“He was afraid to place it on the ground,” Spartz lamented. “He was afraid to place [the] finances on the ground besides [the] Publish Workplace invoice. We couldn’t accomplish something.”

“I can provide him an opportunity, however I wish to hear from him how he will be delivering this agenda and what plan he has and he hasn’t been doing it,” she stated, suggesting that different congressional Republicans share her issues and could also be prepared to hunt the workplace themselves.

The 118th U.S. Congress was outlined partially by Republican infighting, which got here to a head when former Home Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted in October 2023. It took three weeks earlier than Republicans rallied round Johnson because the consensus candidate to interchange McCarthy. 

As demonstrated by the prolonged course of to pick out a substitute for McCarthy, it is going to take the help of a majority of members of the U.S. Home of Representatives to change into speaker.

Mathematically, this quantities to 218 out of 435. The edge of 218 votes will stay the identical even because the emptiness brought on by Gaetz’s resignation decreases the variety of members to 434. 

Nevertheless, the variety of votes required to change into speaker decreases if members of Congress choose to vote “current.” Johnson’s future will depend upon whether or not these on the fence come by way of and help him and if they don’t, whether or not they choose to again another candidate or vote “current.”

Though Republicans could have robust ambitions for the 119th Congress with management of each chambers of Congress and the manager department, the Home shall be stalled and might’t certify the outcomes of the 2024 presidential election till it elects a speaker. 

A failure to elect a speaker by Jan. 20 would stop Trump from taking workplace as scheduled. In such a state of affairs, the Senate president professional tempore, the longest-serving member of the U.S. Senate, will change into appearing president till a speaker is elected. In the beginning of the 119th U.S. Congress, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, will maintain that title.

For her half, Spartz remained assured in her interview with “Fox & Pals” that the collection of a speaker won’t drag on previous Inauguration Day.

“That is not going to occur,” she stated. “We may have a speaker.”