On November 14, 2024, according to five individuals present, President-elect Donald Trump visited the House Republicans on Wednesday morning to attend a closed-door meeting just hours before the House Speaker election. Trump appeared to lend his support to Mike Johnson’s candidacy for Speaker of the House during the internal party vote, with two people revealing, “He said, ‘I fully support him.'”
This endorsement from Trump is a significant boon for Johnson, as he needs the President’s support to secure victory in the challenging vote on January 3. Johnson will require almost unanimous backing from House Republican members to officially assume the role of Speaker.
Trump’s backing of Johnson did not come as a surprise to many. Both the Louisiana Republican and his critics had predicted that Trump would support Johnson during the closed-door meeting.
During a brief interview with POLITICO on Tuesday evening, Johnson predicted, “He (referring to Trump) has been publicly talking about this, so I think he will continue to do so tomorrow.”
Trump holds considerable sway over the House Republican conference, and his support for Johnson may compel challengers to decide whether it’s worth opposing Trump for the Speaker position and their demands regarding certain House rules.
Johnson’s allies believe that Trump is likely to control both chambers of Congress and that conservatives would not want to be seen as obstructing Trump’s agenda.
Representative Eli Crane, a conservative Republican from Arizona, who had previously expressed skepticism about Johnson’s leadership, pledged his support for Johnson after Trump’s endorsement, stating that Trump should have “a team he wants.”
While Trump’s support may reduce opposition to Johnson, dissenting voices are unlikely to disappear entirely.
During the closed-door meeting, Johnson lavished praise on Trump, calling him a “unique figure in American history.”
Johnson remarked, “They used to call Bill Clinton the ‘comeback kid’, and (Trump) is the ‘comeback king’.”
According to one individual present, Trump later told Johnson, “Mike, you’re going to have a tremendously brilliant year, a tremendously brilliant two years.” He then turned to those in the room and said, “Get everything done! Unite!”
Despite this, Johnson does not have a guaranteed victory yet, and the real test will come in the official vote in the House in January, where he will have little room for error.
The Louisiana Republican has been campaigning for months, rallying support nationwide for his colleagues’ candidacy, with expectations that Republicans will narrowly maintain control of the House.
Although the conservative faction has had reservations about Johnson’s handling of spending and other issues during his first year as Speaker, he is widely expected to easily pass the simple majority threshold required in the closed-door meetings. The live vote on January 3 will underscore the importance of this issue, as the 218-vote threshold means he cannot afford to lose the support of a few Republican members.
Nevertheless, Trump’s timely endorsement has provided Johnson with significant encouragement. With Trump’s overwhelming victory, his grip on Congress becomes stronger, and any Republican members opposing Johnson may face not only the ire of their colleagues but also that of party leaders.
Despite the criticisms against Johnson, some have complaints. Over the past year, deals Johnson has made on government appropriations and other issues have left conservatives dissatisfied, with some making controversial demands regarding conference rules, including keeping the threshold for ousting the Speaker at one vote, which they see as crucial for winning votes. They have also publicly urged Johnson to quash pushes from moderates to punish members who vote against bringing Republican bills to the floor.
Additionally, some are awaiting the approaching government spending deadline, set just before Christmas, hoping to gain more leverage.
In October 2023, after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed from his position, Representative Matt Gaetz nominated Johnson as a potential candidate.
On October 21, following failed bids by Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan for the Speakership, Johnson announced his candidacy as the Republican nominee for Speaker. However, Tom Emmer defeated Johnson with 117 votes to 97 on October 24, but Emmer later withdrew his nomination. Later on October 24, House Republicans voted for Johnson as the fourth Speaker nominee; in the third round of voting, Johnson defeated Byron Donalds with 128 votes to 29.
Johnson’s campaign received support from former U.S. President Donald Trump.
On October 25, in a full House vote, Johnson was elected as the 57th Speaker of the House with 220 votes to 209, with every attending Republican voting in support of Johnson. Johnson was sworn in as Speaker that same day.