Blood in the Water: Sharks Circle Embattled Speaker Mike Johnson

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is in uncharted waters and heading for the rocks.

The deal he negotiated with Democrats failed to get a vote amid Republican outrage from all corners of the conference.

He failed to usher through another deal negotiated after President-elect Donald Trump swooped in with a last-minute attempt to salvage negotiations before Friday night’s shutdown.

Now he’s trying yet again to push through a deal after choosing in September to punt the funding deadline to the lame duck session.

It didn’t have to be this way, and his conference members are unhappy.

Friday afternoon, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) delivered the latest blow to Johnson.

Malliotakis, walking into a House Republican Conference meeting to hash out another path forward, made clear where she stands on Johnson’s leadership — or lack thereof.

“I don’t know what’s going on, and really that’s part of problem,” she told reporters, adding there has been “zero communication from leadership to the membership. Something should change before January 3.”

That ominous date is the roll call vote on the House floor for Speaker. With current margins, Johnson can afford to lose just two Republicans.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has committed to voting against Johnson. Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) said Thursday he would oppose Johnson if the vote were held that day.

When asked how frustrated she was with Johnson, Malliotakis answered “How does it sound?”

Malliotakis is far from a rabble-rousing, conservative purist, but her concerns with Johnson have been echoed throughout the rank and file who elevated Johnson to the Speakership 14 months ago.

Last September, after almost a month without a Speaker and at a total standstill, Republicans chose a caretaker Speaker.

With Trump returning to the Oval Office, Republicans are likely to want a Speaker who can boldly move Trump’s agenda forward.

Thursday’s failed vote highlighted a bad week for Johnson, which suggests he will be unable to fill that role.

With Congress barreling toward a shutdown, House Republicans — and maybe Trump himself — may look to use the impasse as justification for a shakeup.

Johnson appears to be slowly but surely bleeding out ahead of January’s vote. One Truth Social post from Trump could be terminal.

But with former reliable allies publicly turning on him and many more rumored to be planning next steps, there’s little doubt Johnson’s predicament is growing more dire.

How dire may become clear soon.

Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.