Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Friday congratulated House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) on his reelection to a leadership role, but President-elect Trump should take the credit. he suggested.
“First of all, congratulations, Chairman Johnson. Well done,” he said. said on saturday morning He said this in an interview on Fox & Friends Weekend. “But I think we had such a big election, so congratulations.” [go] To President Trump. ”
“I was with him last night. He made a difference here. He united a conference that was difficult to maintain,” the former lawmaker added.
Mr Johnson, who was under intense pressure after a tense budget battle, secured the speakership again in an impressive floor vote on Friday, securing the gavel on the first vote.
Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Rep. Keith Self of Texas initially nominated alternate candidates for the top post, but after negotiations changed their votes to Mr. Johnson. Sources later told The Hill that the reversal occurred after Trump called the two holders, underscoring the president-elect's influence over the House Republican conference.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the only Republican to withhold support from Johnson. Massey vowed to oppose him for weeks and instead floated House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) to the post. Democrats endorsed Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
playing cards praised After Johnson won, the Louisiana Republican's victory was posted on Truth Social.
“Mike will be a great Speaker and our country will benefit from it,” he wrote after the vote. “The American people have been waiting four years for common sense, strength, and leadership. They get it now. We will, and America will be greater than ever!”
Months after being ousted as speaker, Mr. McCarthy will resign from Congress in late 2023, urging Republicans to put aside their differences and look to Mr. Trump as a “unifier.”
“If we want this agenda to pass, no one can object, the American people have said it loud and clear, and I believe that President Trump is a unifying force,” McCarthy told Fox News. I think so,” he said.
“Members have to stop focusing on themselves and start looking at policy,” he added.
