House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana)’s ratings appeared to rise after former President Trump held a “pep rally” with House Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Johnson has come under fire from hardline conservatives for making deals with President Biden, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has sought to strip Johnson of his speaker’s gavel, casting doubt on his future as head of the conference.
But on Thursday, President Trump sided with Johnson rather than his right wing, praising his Chairman Johnson’s work in his nascent leadership term and joking with Greene that she should “go easy on President Johnson.” Greene acknowledged the exchange and said President Trump recognized her loyalty.
These dynamics bode well for Johnson’s political future, who faces harsh (and public) criticism from hard-liners who have vowed to block him from serving as speaker if Republicans retain control of the House in November.
“He said he’s doing a great job,” Rep. Kevin Hahn (R-Okla.), chairman of the Republican Study Committee, said as he delivered Trump’s message at the conference.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) made a similar report, saying he would “absolutely” support Johnson as the former president enters an election cycle bullish on his chances to seize every inch of power in Washington.
“He said many times he was doing a good job,” Burchett said.
Mr Johnson, meanwhile, was quick to praise Mr Trump after the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, and stressed the need for “continuity of leadership” – a blatant assertion that he will continue to take the reins next year.
“He was very complimentary about all of us,” Johnson said. “He told me I’m doing a great job and we appreciate that. We have to maintain continuity of leadership, have a plan and execute it very carefully.”
“I’ve been spending a lot of time talking with President Trump about what happens after the election,” Johnson said, adding that he plans to meet with the former president on Monday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to discuss 2024 election strategy.
President Trump’s visit to the House Republican Conference, which Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) described as a “pep rally,” was part of a visit to the nation’s capital that also included meetings with Republican senators and leading business executives.
The meeting with House Republicans began in a jovial manner, with Republicans singing happy birthday to Trump (he turns 78 on Friday) and Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas) presenting the former president with a ball and bat from Wednesday’s congressional baseball game in which Republicans defeated Democrats.
But the conversation also included policy, with Trump touching on issues including abortion, immigration, the border, taxes and a tough stance on China — some of which Johnson discussed in a meeting with Senate Republicans on Wednesday.
“Not to put the cart before the horse, but we have a lot of problems to solve and we have to have a plan to lead,” he said. “So we’re working on that right now.”
Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina echoed other lawmakers, saying a meeting with Trump would be beneficial for Johnson, and that Trump wants Republicans to unite on big issues rather than fight each other.
And yet, Trump succumbed to his political instinct for revenge.
The former president praised the fact that nearly all of the 10 Republican senators who voted to impeach him after the January 6 attack on the Capitol are now out of office, noting that Reps. Tom Rice of South Carolina and Liz Cheney of Wyoming lost their re-election bids to Trump-backed opponents.
Trump also referred to Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), one of the two remaining Republicans in the House who supported impeachment, saying he had saved him by not endorsing his opponent, according to the sources. Lawmakers leaving the meeting described it as friendly banter.
Valadao did not attend the Trump meeting, along with Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), the other senator who voted in favor of impeachment, but escaped Trump’s wrath.
Trump also weighed in on the election scorecard, praising Rep. Nancy Mace of Lausanne, Calif., a Trump critic-turned-supporter who defeated a candidate backed by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in Tuesday’s primary but voted to impeach McCarthy. He reportedly warned Lawmakers are opposed to working with Jeff Lowe, a political strategist who supported Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid.
Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), who supported DeSantis for president and is now facing a primary challenge from a Trump-backed candidate, ignored questions from reporters as he left the meeting.
Trump referred to the number of lawsuits against him, but Johnson and other lawmakers said Trump never specifically called on Republicans in the meeting to retaliate against the prosecutors.
Still, Johnson said House Republican leaders are working on a bill that would essentially indemnify Trump. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Russell Frye of South Carolina, would allow the president to take state-level cases to federal court, potentially opening the door for federal prosecutors to drop cases or grant pardons.
Trump also used Thursday’s meeting to lay out a lengthy list of policy priorities he wants to address in a second term.
He criticized Biden’s border policies and promised to implement tougher measures, as he advocated for during his first term.
“We have to secure our border. We have to stop this influx,” said Rep. Mike Lawler (R-New York).
President Trump has promoted the idea of using tariffs to help American businesses in response to foreign trade policies he sees as unfair.
“He believes strongly in tariffs and I think he has had a greater influence on the thinking of the Republican Conference than perhaps ever before. [anyone else]” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
Trump also vowed to end overseas conflicts, like the one in Ukraine, which Republicans blame on Biden.
“As he said, he has had great cooperation with China and Russia and there has been no war,” Hahn said, “and war takes lives and is very costly.”
On abortion, Trump urged Republicans in Congress to be careful when talking about abortion during the election, called for exceptions and for abortion policy to be legislated at the state level rather than the federal level, and he himself made the case for medical exceptions, according to two sources who attended the meeting.
Rep. Marc Molinaro of New York said Trump had instructed lawmakers to “show respect for women and the choices they make”.
Trump has also offered to help the campaigns of Republican lawmakers, including those in the toughest races. It’s unclear how many vulnerable incumbents, especially those in districts that Biden won in 2020, will take him up on the offer. But at least some Republicans say the strategy has clear advantages.
“He’s getting people to vote who otherwise wouldn’t have done so, so there’s an advantage there,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.).
“A lot of it is the result of a combination of economic and political factors,” said Rep. David Schweikert of Arizona, a Republican who represents Biden’s district. [Trump’s message] It was about the economy and inflation.”
Others say Trump is sure to give the lower-ranked Republican candidate an edge, despite his recent felony convictions.
“He’s more popular and more popular than he’s ever been,” Mace said.
