President-elect Donald Trump doubled down on his endorsement of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Friday morning, hours before a high-stakes House vote on whether to keep him in power.
“Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party, and yet another acknowledgment of our 129 year most consequential Presidential Election!! – A BIG AFFIRMATION, INDEED. MAGA!”
“Thank you, President Trump! Today is a new day in America,” Johnson responded on X. “Congressional Republicans must stay united to quickly deliver President Trump’s America First agenda. Let’s get it done.”
The 52-year-old Louisiana Republican faces one of the tightest majority margins in House history — with only room for one Republican to oppose him before he’ll be blocked from winning the speaker’s gavel.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has already come out against him, and several more, including Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Andy Harris (R-Md.), Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), remain publicly undecided going into the first round of voting Friday at noon.
“Nearly everyone knows from his 18 month history of betraying Republicans and teaming with Democrats that Johnson isn’t the right guy,” Massie railed Friday morning on X.
“If he fails on the first round today, a better Speaker can be elected in a few hours or over the weekend.”
No alternative candidate has emerged to lead House Republicans, however, and Johnson was unanimously elected to lead the conference in October 2023 after nearly three weeks of infighting after the defenestration of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
McCarthy became the first Speaker of the House in history to be removed by a vote of his own party. Several members of GOP leadership as well as Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) tried to succeed him but were unable to whip up enough support.
Johnson has expressed supreme confidence about being re-elected for that very reason.
“I think we get it done on the first round,” he told Fox Business. “I’m certainly hopeful for that, because, as we noted, we got to stick together. We’ll be operating with the smallest margin in US history for much of the first 100 days of the Congress, and perhaps longer into the year.”
Republicans won 220 House seats in November, compared to the Democrats’ 215. But the majority shrank even further after former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) resigned and several House members were tapped to be in the Trump administration.
The speaker needs to win the majority of votes cast. With there being 434 seats, the magic number is will be 218, but the margin could change if there are absences or members vote “present.”
Trump has backed Johnson wholeheartedly and the two met at Mar-a-Lago on New Years Day to discuss “strategy” on the speaker race.
The Louisiana Republican has maintained a good relationship with Trump throughout his time in power, frequently appearing with the incoming president at rallies and other major headline-grabbing events.
