Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) was re-elected to the House of Representatives after a last-minute reversal of two Republican opponents in a floor vote on Friday, with President-elect Donald Trump personally intervening to shut down opposition. .
Mr. Johnson, 52, faces a razor-thin Republican majority in the House of Representatives, with 219 members from his own party and 215 Democrats holding seats by the start of the session, and losing just one vote would cost him the speaker's gavel. This means that you can obtain It received a majority of 218 votes.
Rep. Thomas Massey (R-Ky.), who has been a thorn in Mr. Johnson's side since the Louisiana Republican took office in October 2023, also voted before the noon polls began. He declared that he would not. For incumbent speakers under any circumstances.
With 434 members in attendance and all Democrats preparing to vote for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), there was no room for error for the speaker-elect.
On the first ballot, Massie wasted no time voting for House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.).
He was followed by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-South Carolina), who supported Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to become speaker, and Keith Self, who wanted Rep. Byron Donald to become speaker. Other rebels followed, including Rep. (R-Texas). (R-Fla.), effectively dooming Johnson's candidacy.
With voting expected to move into a second round, some Republican lawmakers immediately reached out to members of President-elect Donald Trump's team.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was photographed speaking on the phone with President Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles from the House chamber.
The 78-year-old president also spoke with Norman and Self on speakerphone after being called by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina), according to Fox News.
The president-elect said it would be “disrespectful” to voters to force the speaker to vote a second or third time, adding that it would be “disrespectful to me as well.”
“Folks, we have a lot of work to do. Let's get started,” Trump told members, according to Fox News.
When the disgruntled pair returned to the floor, both reversed their votes in favor of Johnson, who received a final vote of 218, exceeding the majority threshold.
The president-elect was eager to quickly approve nominees in the Senate and implement a package of border security changes on day one.
Fiscal hawks in the Republican conference have criticized Mr. Johnson's missteps in his role as speaker in the 118th Congress, as well as the funding issues that will keep the government's lights on through March, including recent spending bills passed last month. He accused the Democratic Party of forcing him into negotiations.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who did not vote against Johnson, released a letter after the speaker's vote outlining his and other Republicans' grievances.
Although many MPs had refrained from pursuing a full-scale rebellion against Johnson, Mr Roy said he still hoped changes would be implemented. Examples include changing the House schedule to allow more working days, and reducing spending and the deficit through reconciliation and giving lawmakers more freedom to act. Amend the bill to eliminate the “72-hour'' rule.
After the vote, Johnson told Politico that he made no concessions in closed-door discussions with Self and Norman before taking the gavel.
The Texas Republican also supported securing the southern border, cutting inflationary spending, halting stock trading for members of Congress, and repealing President Biden's Green New Deal subsidies and student loan benefits. He wrote that he expected Mr. Johnson to stick to Mr. Trump's policies.
All 215 Democrats supported Jeffries in the vote, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also flew in from California the day before, despite still recovering from a broken hip.
Commenting on the Republican vacillations during the first round, Jeffries wrote of X: And it's only the first day. ”
Days earlier, Mr. Trump had made it clear that he wanted Republicans to vote for Mr. Johnson, with several Truth Social posts supporting Mr. Johnson.
He was the first to congratulate Mr Johnson after he won the Speaker's election.
“Congratulations to Speaker Mike Johnson on this unprecedented vote of confidence in Congress. Mike will be a great speaker and our country will benefit from it,” the president-elect said, cheering on Truth Social.
“The American people have been waiting four years for common sense, strength, and leadership. They'll get it now, and America will be greater than ever!”
