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Allies of Speaker Mike Johnson are urging Donald Trump to reaffirm his support for the Republican leader of the House of Representatives in the hope of heading off a messy battle for the role in the new year.
Should other contenders for the speakership emerge with any significant support following last week’s spending bill battle it could delay the certification of the president-elect’s own victory.
So far, there has been silence on the matter from Mar-a-Lago since Friday night’s vote on a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through mid-March — a struggle that did not bode well for Johnson’s future.
Florida Republican congressman Carlos Gimenez unpacked a possible scenario for Fox News Digital, telling the outlet: “If we have some kind of protracted fight where we can’t elect a speaker — the speaker’s not elected; we’re not sworn in. And if we’re not sworn in, we can’t certify the election.”
He added: “I would hope that President Trump would chime in and talk to those who are maybe a little hesitant, and say, ‘We’ve got to get going. We don’t have time.”
Gimenez is not alone in hoping that Trump shores up support for Johnson.
Republican Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas told Fox News Digital that “it would be immensely helpful” if the incoming president said something publicly.
“Any time would be great, but right after Christmas if President Trump said, ‘You know, listen’ — it would even be really cool if somehow Mike Johnson ended up at Mar-a-Lago for Christmas… wherever the president is,” Fallon said. “I think it would be incredibly powerful.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the media following the passage of a spending legislation to avert a government shutdown on December 20 (REUTERS)
The timeline for electing the speaker is tight after the holidays, hence why Johnson allies are speaking up now.
Lawmakers return to Washington, D.C. in the new year for a vote to elect the speaker of the House on Friday, January 3, 2025.
On Monday, January 6, the House meets to certify the results of the 2024 election.
Republicans are doubtless concerned given the protracted battles to elect the past two speakers.
Kevin McCarthy faced 15 rounds of votes to be elected in early 2023 with lawmakers nearly coming to blows at one point. After the longest contest for speaker in more than a century the gavel was his — but not after conceding committee assignments and rule changes to the dozen or so members of his own party who opposed him.
When he was ousted in October of the same year following a motion to vacate by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, the House was in limbo for the three weeks it took to finally elect Johnson.
During last week’s battle over the spending bill, one of Johnson’s biggest critics — Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky — said he would not vote for him as speaker in the new year, seemingly teeing up a possible repeat of 2023 and further burnishing the party’s reputation for tearing each other apart.
Other lawmakers have also backed away from the speaker, and alternative names have been floated, including Tom Emmer, Byron Donalds, Jim Jordan, and even Elon Musk (the speaker does not need to be a member of Congress).
Johnson has a margin of three votes to retain his role as speaker, with Democrats saying they won’t rescue his speakership again, so Trump’s influence will be vital.
What is likely weighing on the speaker’s mind is that 38 Republican lawmakers voted against the president-elect’s preferred spending bill before a compromise was worked out.
Can they all be convinced to back him even with Trump’s support?
