A small number of conservative House Republicans had voiced concerns to President-elect Trump about House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) even before last week's government funding debacle, on Capitol Hill and around Trump. Louisiana Republicans took the gavel less than two weeks before the speaker's vote, multiple sources told The Hill.
Sources said Republicans had spoken with the president-elect in the weeks before the government shutdown showdown, expressing dissatisfaction and concerns about Johnson's handling of various issues and the management of the House Republican conference. .
The sources, most of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations, declined to name the Republicans who spoke with Trump for fear of detailing private conversations. . But the conversation was a mix of Republicans calling Trump out of concern for Johnson and the president-elect asking lawmakers for an update on Johnson.
“Our members are calling on Mr. Trump to fire Mr. Johnson,” a Trump World source told The Hill.
“Members are sharing their frustrations and concerns, and Mr. Johnson is observing that,” another source told The Hill, adding that he was “not sure what to do and what he lacked in his ability to get things done.” ”.
“The president recognizes that, too.” [Johnson] He is someone who can be pushed around,” they added. “I think he's weighing the benefits of that against whether this guy can make it.”
Another source told The Hill: “There are major concerns about his ability to manage the place.”
“This only reveals what is going on,” they added, arguing that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s handling of the issue in recent months had foreshadowed the current spending debacle.
“This happening kind of gives us an idea of what was going on,” they said.
The official said that President Trump “accepted it without issue,” noting that the president-elect is focused on preparing for the next administration.
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told The Hill he was aware that Republicans were discussing concerns with Mr. Johnson with Mr. Trump. , noted that discussions have been “ongoing for several weeks.” ”
Norman said Republicans' grievances also include “Democrats taking control and Johnson not fighting.”
Mr. Hill has reached out to Mr. Trump and Mr. Johnson for comment.
News of the conversation surfaced as House Republicans from all walks of life grew frustrated with Johnson's handling of government funds last week, sparking a revolt in the Republican conference. Hours before the late Friday funding deadline, Mr. Johnson passed a continuing resolution that did not include the debt ceiling increase that President Trump had demanded, raising the possibility of growing anger in Trump World.
Johnson and congressional leaders first introduced a 1,500-page continuing resolution on Tuesday, but by Wednesday the resolution had died. Republicans on Capitol Hill had been growing frustrated with the bill even before it was announced, and on Wednesday afternoon, President Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance put the final nail in the coffin. In addition to condemning the existing agreement, they demanded an increase in the debt ceiling, throwing a curveball into already complicated financing negotiations.
Trump stepped up his rhetoric Wednesday, threatening to pose a major challenge to Republican lawmakers voting to pass the spending package negotiated by Johnson.
After trying and failing to pass a package that included a two-year suspension of the debt ceiling, Johnson announced a bipartisan short-term stopgap package that eliminated debt ceiling language and included only disaster relief and economic support for farmers. has moved to President Trump's request. Instead, Republicans struck a deal to increase the borrowing limit by $1.5 trillion in exchange for a net $2.5 trillion in spending cuts through a reconciliation bill in the next Congress.
President Trump has not commented on previous plans to avoid a shutdown, raising questions about his thoughts on the bill and his trust in Johnson. Just before the vote, Elon Musk wrote on social platform X: We went from having banknotes in pounds to having banknotes in ounces. ”
some storesHowever, Trump reportedly remains dissatisfied with Johnson.
Past concerns expressed by Republicans about Trump and current anger in the Republican conference over the government funding fight cast doubt on Johnson's ability to hold on to the gavel in the Jan. 3 House speaker vote. is occurring.
Mr Johnson won the nomination unanimously at a press conference last month after hardliners abandoned plans to field an alternative candidate and opposed forcing a recorded vote to protest Mr Johnson's candidacy. This is because you selected
But some Republicans are now concerned about supporting him in January. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who supported Johnson's resignation motion earlier this year, has said he will not support Johnson in a floor vote, and several other Republicans are undecided. states.
Assuming all members attend and vote for their nominees, Mr. Johnson cannot afford to lose any other Republicans. “I'm not worried about the House of Commons votes,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday.
“We are in charge. Everyone knows we are in a difficult situation. We are doing the best we can under the circumstances,” he added.
But the biggest factor in the chairman's talks is whether Trump will endorse Johnson and urge Republicans to support him in a floor vote. Mr. Trump has been a vocal supporter of Mr. Johnson, but the dispute over spending appears to have caused cracks in that support.
questioner NBC News In a phone interview Thursday, Trump was asked if he still trusted Johnson, to which he replied, “We'll see.”
“[The funding deal] “Policies like yesterday were unacceptable,” he added, referring to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's fiscal policy. “In many ways, that was unacceptable. It's a Democratic trap.”
just before he said this fox news If Mr Johnson can “act decisively and forcefully” and remove “all the trappings that the Democrats have set up” in the funding bill, he will “easily remain speaker”.
Some Republicans see Trump's support for Johnson as the only factor keeping him in office.
“I don't think he would have become chairman if it weren't for the fact that he was so closely tied to Trump,” one Freedom Caucus member told The Hill.
The congressman said he was not aware of any members of Congress expressing dissatisfaction with President Trump, but said Republicans were “more worried about President Trump than they are about Mike Johnson.”
“If Trump supports Johnson, no one wants to upset Trump,” the member continued. “Mr. Johnson knows that, which is why he's spending every waking moment with the president-elect.”
