President-elect Donald Trump and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) are trying to stave off a conservative rebellion that threatens to upend his reelection to House speaker.
Johnson scored Trump’s endorsement days ahead of the new Congress commencing on Friday and a key vote to rename him speaker of the House with a razor-thin majority.
Johnson will be with Trump at his South Florida Mar-a-Lago estate on Wednesday, New Year’s Day, he told News Radio 710 KEEL in Shreveport.
“We’re going to map out some strategy, and he wanted to take photos and do a big endorsement on that day,” Johnson said.
Trump, earlier this week, posted on his Truth Social platform: “Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!”
The House will vote for a new speaker on Friday when the new Congress is sworn in. Johnson appears to have the votes, but at least one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), has said he will oppose him. Johnson will not be able to afford any more Republican defectors, assuming all Democrats vote against Johnson.
Johnson was adamant he has the votes to get reelected as speaker.
“There’s not another name circulated, there’s no other candidate proposed, because everyone knows that I’m the only one who can get the votes,” he said.
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In a Fox News op-ed, Johnson and House Republican leadership outlined an “aggressive plan” to enact Trump’s agenda.
“He will use his executive authority to quickly triage many of the crises left by the Biden administration, but President Trump’s legacy, and transformational change, must be cemented by Congress,” they wrote.
