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Donald Trump has thrown his support behind Mike Johnson for Speaker of the House, giving the embattled lawmaker a key endorsement amid Republican wrangling ahead of Friday’s election.
The president-elect on Monday said Johnson he had “full and complete approval”, calling him a “good, hard-working, religious man” who would “do the right thing” in a post on his social media of society Social Reality.
Permission from Trump it comes at a critical time for Johnson, as Republicans prepare to vote on who will lead the lower house of Congress on January 3.
Johnson’s future came after lawmakers voiced their opposition, including Kentucky’s Thomas Massie. Andy Harris of Maryland, who leads the conservative Freedom Caucus, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, have also wavered in their support.
The slim majority of 220 Republican seats, compared to 215 held by Democrats, will grow to 219 once the new Congress meets, thanks to the resignation of Matt Gaetz. The Florida lawmaker said he would leave his House seat after Trump was selected to serve as his attorney general, but later backed away from considering the job.
The slim Republican majority means Johnson can only lose by one vote if he wants to keep his leadership position.
It is not the first time Republicans have been divided in recent weeks, with disagreements over a deal to avert a government shutdown highlighting the difficult balancing act Johnson will have to walk if he re-elected. The battle also cast doubt on whether Johnson has enough support to regain the House leadership.
Johnson’s first attempt at a bipartisan bill to save the government was supported by Trump and his allies, who criticized it for taking away billions of dollars in additional spending and other unrelated measures. He then failed to push through a presidential candidate-backed plan that would have raised the debt ceiling while keeping the government funded, after 38 Republicans joined Democrats in voting against it. A deal was eventually reached ahead of schedule, but without the debt ceiling provision that Trump had originally sought.
Trump on Monday asked Republicans not to “blow this great opportunity that we’ve been given”, referring to a landslide victory in the election that did not return Trump for a second term in the White House, but they also gave Republicans control of both chambers of Congress. .
Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, Representative Mike Lawler of New York said removing Mike Johnson would be “foolish”.
“The truth is these people are playing with fire,” he said. And if they think they’re somehow going to get a more stable Speaker, they’re delusional.
Johnson said in a post on X that he was “honored and humbled” by Trump’s support. “Together, we will deliver your America First program and usher in a new golden age of America.”
