Mike Johnson was elected Speaker of the House after Trump endorsed the Republican

Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana was re-elected speaker of House of Representatives on Friday on the first ballot after two of his three colleagues Republicans who initially voted for other members of the group, switched their votes to him.

Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas turned their votes to Johnson after huddling with him near the House floor as the House clerk kept the vote open for more than an hour.

Only one Republican, Rep. Tom Massey of Kentucky, voted for someone else — Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota — in the final tally, giving Johnson the minimum 218 votes he needed to win.

Neither Emmer nor the other Republicans Norman and Self voted for first — Jim Jordan of Ohio and Byron Donalds of Florida — were nominated for or seeking the speaker’s gavel.

Johnson defeated Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who was nominated by his fellow Democrats. Jeffries received all 215 of the group’s votes.

President-elect Donald Trumpwho supported Johnson’s candidacy, congratulated him in a social media post for “receiving an unprecedented vote of confidence in Congress.”

“Mike will be a great speaker and our country will be the beneficiary,” Trump wrote. “The people of America have waited four years for common sense, strength and leadership. They will get it now and America will be greater than ever!”

Johnson took his seat as speaker of the House after the vote and called for a moment of silence for the victims of the New Year’s Eve terrorist attack in New Orleans.

Johnson was first elected speaker on Oct. 25, 2023, three weeks after then-Rep. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted from that seat when a handful of Republicans joined every Democrat to vote to remove him.

Johnson was the fourth nominee to replace McCarthy.

McCarthy himself had been chairman for only nine months when he was ousted – he was first elected in January 2023. after four days of voting and 15 votes.