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Trump says Johnson has his ‘total endorsement’ for speaker

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) walks to the House Chamber from his office at the U.S. Capitol on Friday in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura)
By Hadriana Lowenkron and Maria Luiza Rabello Bloomberg

President-elect Donald Trump offered his “Complete & Total Endorsement” to Speaker Mike Johnson, intervening to ward off a potentially crippling leadership fight in the House that threatened to slow his second-term agenda.

“The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all of the destructive policies of the last Administration. Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN,” Trump said in a post to his Truth Social network on Monday.

The House is slated to hold its vote for speaker on Jan. 3, and while no declared challenger to Johnson had emerged, some Republicans worried that a fight over the position could delay efforts to enact Trump’s agenda and even the certification of his election victory. The party will hold a narrow majority in the incoming House.

Johnson has faced criticism from ultraconservative lawmakers after backing a temporary spending deal that failed to include Trump’s demands for lifting the US debt ceiling. He has only been speaker since October 2023, taking over the post after a chaotic stretch that saw members of the House GOP caucus take the gavel from Kevin McCarthy and struggle to settle on a replacement.

Johnson said he was “honored and humbled” by Trump’s support in a post on X, adding that he would work with him to “quickly deliver on your America First agenda.”

Trump issued his endorsement a day after a senior Republican lawmaker urged the president-elect to weigh in and help avoid a fight for the speakership.

“We have five Republicans that won’t commit to voting for Mike Johnson – and he can only lose one or two votes,” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures. Comer said he would “strongly encourage” Trump to urge those members to vote for Johnson.