Speaker of the United States House Mike Johnson accepted the support of Donald Trump

Open the White House Watch newspaper for free

Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world

Donald Trump has thrown his support behind House Speaker Mike Johnson, giving a crucial endorsement to the embattled Republican lawmaker ahead of a vote on Friday.

The president-elect said on Monday. Johnson He had his “full and total support”, calling him “good, hard-working, religious” in a post on his social media site Truth Social, “doing the right thing.”

The confirmation from Trump Jan. 3 comes at a crucial time for Johnson as Republicans vote on who will lead the lower house of Congress.

Johnson’s fate was changing after some lawmakers voiced opposition, including Thomas Massey of Kentucky. Andy Harris of Maryland, who heads the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania have pledged their support.

The Republicans’ narrow 220 seats compared to the 215 seats controlled by the Democrats will drop to 219 when the new Congress ends due to the resignation of Matt Gaetz. The Florida lawmaker had said he would resign after Trump’s election to serve as attorney general, but later backed out of that position.

The slim Republican majority means Johnson could lose one vote if he is to retain his leadership position.

It’s not the first time Republicans have been divided in recent weeks, with a deal to avoid a government shutdown revealing the difficult balancing act Johnson will have to navigate if re-elected. The fight cast doubt on whether Johnson had enough support to recapture the House leadership.

Johnson’s first attempt to fund the government through bipartisan legislation was shot down by Trump and his allies, who criticized it for imposing billions of dollars in additional spending and other unrelated measures. Then, after 38 Republicans voted against the Democrats, they failed to push through the president-backed plan to raise the debt ceiling. A deal was eventually reached before the deadline, but Trump’s original demand for the debt ceiling provision was left out.

On Monday, Trump implored Republicans not to “blow our big chance,” citing a landslide victory that not only gave Trump a second term in the White House, but also gave Republicans control of both houses of Congress. .

Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, New York Rep. Mike Lawler said firing Mike Johnson was “stupid.”

“The reality is these people are playing with fire,” he said. “And if you think you’re going to somehow get a more conservative speaker, you’re kidding yourself.”

In a post on X, Johnson said he was “honored and humbled” by Trump’s support. “Together, we will advance your America First agenda and usher in a new golden age for America.”