President-elect Donald Trump doubled down on his endorsement of Speaker of the Home Mike Johnson on Friday morning, hours earlier than a high-stakes Home vote on whether or not to maintain him in energy.
“Good luck at the moment for Speaker Mike Johnson, a superb man of nice skill, who could be very near having 100% assist,” Trump wrote on Fact Social.
“A win for Mike at the moment will likely be a giant win for the Republican Social gathering, and yet one more acknowledgment of our 129 yr most consequential Presidential Election!! – A BIG AFFIRMATION, INDEED. MAGA!”
“Thanks, President Trump! Right this moment is a brand new day in America,” Johnson (R-la.) responded on X. “Congressional Republicans should keep united to shortly ship President Trump’s America First agenda. Let’s get it finished.”
The 52-year-old Louisiana Republican faces one of many tightest majority margins in Home historical past — with solely room for one Republican to oppose him earlier than he’ll be blocked from profitable the speaker’s gavel.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has already come out in opposition to him, and a number of other extra, together with Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Andy Harris (R-Md.), Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), stay publicly undecided going into the primary spherical of voting at midday Friday.
“Almost everybody is aware of from his 18 month historical past of betraying Republicans and teaming with Democrats that Johnson isn’t the best man,” Massie railed Friday morning on X.
“If he fails on the primary spherical at the moment, a greater Speaker may be elected in a couple of hours or over the weekend.”
No various candidate has emerged to guide Home Republicans, nevertheless, and Johnson was unanimously elected to guide the convention in October 2023 after practically three weeks of infighting after the defenestration of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
McCarthy grew to become the primary speaker of the Home in historical past to be eliminated by a vote of his personal celebration. A number of members of GOP management in addition to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) tried to succeed him however have been unable to whip up sufficient assist.
Johnson has expressed supreme confidence about being re-elected for that very purpose.
“I feel we get it finished on the primary spherical,” he informed Fox Enterprise. “I’m definitely longing for that, as a result of, as we famous, we bought to stay collectively. We’ll be working with the smallest margin in US historical past for a lot of the primary 100 days of the Congress, and maybe longer into the yr.”
Republicans gained 220 Home seats in November, in comparison with the Democrats’ 215. However the majority shrank even additional after former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) resigned and a number of other Home members have been tapped to be within the Trump administration.
The speaker must win the vast majority of votes forged. With there being 434 seats, the magic quantity will likely be 218, however the margin might change if there are absences or members vote “current.”
Trump has backed Johnson wholeheartedly and the 2 met at Mar-a-Lago on New Yr’s Day to debate “technique” on the speaker race.
The Louisiana Republican has maintained an excellent relationship with Trump all through his time in energy, continuously showing with the incoming president at rallies and different main headline-grabbing occasions.
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