Trump backs Johnson for speaker’s gavel: ‘Get it done, fast!’
Former President Donald Trump is posting his support for GOP speaker nominee Mike Johnson, urging Republicans to “get it done, fast” ahead of a potential House speaker vote later today.
“He’s respected by all and that’s what we need. It looks like it’s going to happen,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday morning. “I put out a truth today on him, and last night, you saw that. He’s spectacular and maybe for many years to come, he’ll be very good. So, we’re very happy about that.”
He later said that Johnson is “popular, smart, sharp. He’s going to be fantastic.”
Trump had posted on Truth Social earlier, the morning after Republicans selected Johnson as their second speaker nominee of the day late Tuesday.
“Congratulations to Congressional Republicans! Yesterday was a big and very important day. It gave us a quick and easy way forward with 5 candidates who are beyond reproach, and represent the absolute best there is in the Republican Party,” he said.
“Even the Fake News Media is impressed with what took place yesterday and, more importantly, with the Candidates themselves. Congratulations to Reps. Byron Donalds (Florida), Charles J. “Chuck” Fleischmann (Tennessee), Mark Green (Tennessee), & Roger Williams (Texas), & the ultimate winner of yesterday’s vote, by a significant margin, Mike Johnson (Louisiana),” he said.
“I am not going to make an Endorsement in this race, because I COULD NEVER GO AGAINST ANY OF THESE FINE AND VERY TALENTED MEN, all of whom have supported me, in both mind and spirit, from the very beginning of our GREAT 2016 Victory. In 2024, we will have an even bigger, & more important, WIN! My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & GET IT DONE, FAST! LOVE, DJT”
Gaetz weighs in on Republicans selecting Mike Johnson as newest House speaker
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who led the effort to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, has joined in a chorus of Republicans supporting the new House speaker nominee, Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La.
After Republicans spent most of Tuesday behind closed doors selecting Johnson as the new GOP speaker candidate, Gaetz praised him as a “good godly man who’s going to advance Republicans.”
The Florida Republican also told a group of reporters that his colleague is the “best possible candidate” as the GOP looks to finally elect a speaker after McCarthy was voted out of the position three weeks ago.
One issue in particular that attracted conference members to Johnson was his support for single subject appropriations bills, or spending bills that fund one department or initiative at a time rather than a spending package that can force members to support some spending levels they would be uncomfortable with otherwise supporting, Gaetz said.
“He talks about single subject spending bills being the organizing principle in the House of Representatives. That is what I’ve been fighting for since January,” Gaetz said of Johnson. “It is the reason Kevin McCarthy was vacated and despite the swamps, best efforts, we got a good godly man who’s going to advance Republicans.”
A majority of Republicans backed Johnson, who received 128 votes in the final round of votes, with Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., getting 29, sources confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Other candidates, including McCarthy, received votes.Johnson said he was “honored” to have the support of his colleagues and exhibit “servant leadership” in Congress.
“We’re going to serve the people of this country. We’re going to restore their faith in this Congress, in this institution of government,” Johnson said.
Is the House running normally with no speaker?
The House of Representatives has been without a speaker since Oct. 3, when Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted by all Democrats and eight Republicans — a first in United States history.
Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., has been serving as speaker pro tempore, also known as the interim speaker of the House.
The House of Representatives is facing uncharted waters in the absence of a speaker, and little precedent in terms of the powers the interim speaker holds.
The scope of McHenry’s powers as interim speaker are limited. A speaker pro tempore can only hold a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives if it is a vote for the next speaker of the House.
A source familiar also told Fox News Digital that as interim speaker, McHenry has administrative oversight and power, such as power on office space. That was evidenced on his first day on the job.
McHenry issued an order to evict former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., from her private Capitol office — his first move as speaker pro tempore.
House could hold speaker vote at 1pm as Republicans put hope in Johnson
The House will likely hold a Speaker vote around 1pm ET today as Republicans hope that Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., Tuesday’s second nominee of the day will be able to get over the finish line.
Johnson defeated Rep. Byron Donalds last night on a secret ballot.
The GOP’s “matinee” nominee on Tuesday, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer beat both Johnson and Donalds earlier in the day, but Emmer was done within four hours. Even House Majority Leader Steve Scalise lasted 30 hours as nominee and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) was the nominee for about a week.
The House floor opens at noon ET. After a quorum call to take attendance, there will be nominating speeches for Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The House then moves to its 4th overall Speaker vote this month.
House reading clerks will go through the roll alphabetically. Each member will respond verbally.
The winner needs an outright majority of all members voting for someone by name. Therefore it is not clear what that number will be until the end of the vote. But if all 433 members vote for someone by name, the magic number is 217 for Johnson. He can only lose 4 votes on his side and still prevail.
Only 204 Republicans voted in the GOP conference last night, so this is not a fait accompli.
If the House stumbles again, Rep. David Joyce will likely demand the House immediately debate his resolution to empower acting Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry as ELECTED Speaker Pro Tempore. That would enable the House to function again.
Republicans exude optimism as fourth speaker candidate heads to the House floor
House Republicans were jubilant when they coalesced around a new speaker nominee after a day of marathon-closed door meetings on Tuesday.
GOP Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson, R-La., became speaker-designate on Tuesday evening, the fourth Republican nominee in three weeks.
But House GOP lawmakers insisted that their conference is finally on the same page and ready to unite under Johnson’s leadership — teeing up a House-wide vote Wednesday just after noon.
“My wife…and I were talking, and I said, if we can get somebody like a Mike Johnson, we would be very fortunate,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told reporters after the vote.
Burchett was one of eight House Republicans who voted to oust ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., three weeks ago Tuesday. He said Johnson “brings something to the table that’s lacking in Washington.”
Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, one of the original 20 lawmakers to oppose McCarthy’s speakership bid in January, called Johnson a “capable” and “good man.”
GOP lawmakers float joint McCarthy-Jordan speakership: Sources
Ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., could still get back into the race for House speaker, but this time with Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, serving as assistant speaker, according to sources.
Two sources confirmed to Fox News Digital Tuesday evening that a plan was being floated to reinstate McCarthy as speaker and elevate Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to an assistant speaker role.
Jordan was the House GOP’s second speaker-designate, but he was forced out of the race after failing three chamber-wide votes and then being voted out of the position via anonymous ballot in a Republican conference meeting.
When asked about the idea, McCarthy simply told reporters, “Some members are talking.”
Jordan ignored a question by Fox News Digital about whether the plan was actively being discussed.
NBC News reported that McCarthy himself was floating getting back in the race. It comes as Republicans have failed to fill the speaker’s chair for nearly a month, with three consecutive nominees being struck down by in-fighting.
It is unclear whether the latest nominee, Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., stands a better chance than those who came before him. The first nominee, Rep. Steve Scalise, was brought down by allies of Jordan. Scalise and McCarthy’s allies then crippled Jordan’s nomination in turn. Finally, Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., faced an all-out assault by former President Donald Trump, who opposed his nomination.
The House is expected to reconvene at noon Wednesday for a full floor vote on Johnson’s speakership bid.
