House Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed confidence that Republicans have enough momentum to win the White House in November, regardless of who the Democratic presidential nominee is.
“As President Trump said, they were prepared to run against Biden, but that doesn’t matter. I mean, even if they put Kamala Harris at the top of their list of candidates, she’s a co-owner of every policy and that’s no good,” the Louisiana Republican said in an interview on Fox News Digital on Thursday.
“It doesn’t matter who’s running. It doesn’t matter who gets the position. This election isn’t about people, it’s about policies and what they mean for people.”
This comes as Democratic pressure continues to grow for President Biden to give up on reelection.
Congressional Bypass: Biden Issue Leaves Many Democrats Equivocal
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he is confident Donald Trump can win no matter who the Democrats nominate for president. (Getty Images)
The 81-year-old president has faced calls to drop out of the race after a disastrous debate performance last month, raising concerns that Biden may not have the physical or mental strength to run for president and serve another four years in office.
Johnson has previously criticized Biden for not having the mental acuity to serve in the White House, and he declined to say whether the president should leave office immediately, but he said senior Democratic Party figures also appeared to be working behind the scenes to remove Biden from the running for president in 2024.
“That’s for him to decide. They’re really confused. On the other hand, from what I’ve heard in the last 24 hours, [Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries] “All of them are pretty clear that he probably publicly communicated or at least implied that he shouldn’t run for reelection,” Johnson said.
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President Biden and former President Trump held a debate at CNN studios in Atlanta on June 27, 2024. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
The three top Democrats have not publicly suggested they are pressuring Biden to drop out of the race. A White House spokesman told Fox News on Wednesday after his conversations with Schumer and Jeffries, “The president has informed both leaders that he is their party’s nominee, that he intends to win, and that he looks forward to working with them to pass a 100-day package to help working families.”
Meanwhile, 20 Democrats, including Pelosi’s ally Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), have publicly called on Biden to step down.
Secret Service director agrees to testify at House hearing on Trump assassination attempt
Vice President Kamala Harris has also emerged as the favorite to succeed the president despite struggling in the polls, but some Republicans have privately expressed concern that a younger candidate could be a better challenger to Trump.
Meanwhile, Johnson said he believes Trump is feeling new unity and support after an assassination attempt at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last weekend left one rally attendee dead and two seriously injured.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Las Vegas on June 28, 2024. (Bizayev Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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“I’ve heard they’ve held events in 144 cities in 31 states over the last seven months. And there’s something happening in this country right now. And I think there’s even more energy there after the assassination attempt,” Johnson said.
“People feel that personally and they know what President Trump has had to go through. There’s an element of sympathy for him, on top of all the energy that was already there. I think we’re heading into a really strong November for the party.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Biden campaign for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.
