Mike Johnson Learns His Fate in House Speaker Race

The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives has concluded its first round of voting in the Speaker race.

Mike Johnson fell short on the initial ballot for Speaker, prompting the House to proceed to a second round of voting.

President-elect Donald Trump offered Johnson his “complete and total endorsement” for the role of Speaker of the House.

Johnson’s path to securing the necessary votes from the Republican caucus was always tight. Representative Thomas Massie had previously voiced opposition to Johnson’s reelection bid, highlighting the Louisiana congressman’s precarious position. Losing additional votes could jeopardize his chance to serve as the second in line for the presidency.

Despite these hurdles, Trump publicly supported Johnson via his Truth Social platform: “Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!”

In the same post, Trump boasted about his landslide victory in the 2024 election, stating, “We are the Party of COMMON SENSE, a primary reason that we WON, in a landslide, the magnificent and historic Presidential Election of 2024. ALL SEVEN SWING STATES, 312 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES, AND THE POPULAR VOTE BY MILLIONS OF VOTERS (Despite large scale voter fraud taking place in numerous states, including California, where votes are ridiculously still being counted, or under review!), ALL WON WITH EASE, CALM, & PROFESSIONALISM.”

Trump further praised the Republican campaign’s efficiency and criticized Democrats for their shortcomings: “Republicans are being praised for having run a ‘legendary’ campaign! Democrats are being excoriated for their effort, having wasted 2.5 Billion Dollars, much of it unaccounted for, with some being used to illegally buy endorsements ($11,000,000 to Beyoncé, who never even sang a song, $2,000,000 to Oprah for doing next to nothing, and even $500,000 to Reverend AL, a professional con man and instigator, who agreed to ‘interview’ their ‘star spangled’ candidates, Kamala and Joe). We ran a flawless campaign, having spent FAR LESS, with lots of money left over.”

He continued his critique: “They ran a very expensive ‘sinking ship,’ embracing DOJ & FBI WEAPONIZATION against their political opponent, ME. BUT IT DIDN’T WORK, IT WAS A DISASTER!!! LET'S NOT BLOW THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY WHICH WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN. The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all of the destructive policies of the last Administration. Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hardworking, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!”

Trump had previously told Fox News Digital that Johnson would “easily remain speaker” if he “acts decisively and tough” while steering clear of “all of the traps being set by Democrats” in the spending package.

Following the collapse of a bipartisan deal to avert a partial government shutdown, Trump emphasized the importance of addressing the debt ceiling issue. “Anybody that supports a bill that doesn’t take care of the Democrat quicksand known as the debt ceiling should be primaried and disposed of as quickly as possible,” he said.

Vice President-elect JD Vance also met with House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday evening to discuss the possibility of a continuing resolution. Their hour-long discussion was described by Vance as a “productive conversation.” He expressed optimism about finding solutions, committing to further collaboration on the matter.

The struggle to pass legislation to prevent a government shutdown has intensified focus on the upcoming Speaker vote, with Johnson striving to maintain party unity.

Nevertheless, Trump expressed confidence in Johnson’s ability to hold his position. Speaking to Fox News Digital, he stated, “If the speaker acts decisively, and tough, and gets rid of all of the traps being set by the Democrats, which will economically and, in other ways, destroy our country, he will easily remain speaker.”