President-elect Donald Trump backed House Speaker Mike Johnson’s bid to retain his position Monday, despite their recent clash over government funding and debt ceiling strategy.
“Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!”
The endorsement comes as Johnson faces a narrow path to keeping his gavel. With Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz’s departure and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie already opposing Johnson, the Speaker can only afford to lose one Republican vote in the January 3 election.
“Mike Johnson inherited a disaster when Matt Gaetz and several of my colleagues teamed up with 208 Democrats to remove Kevin McCarthy, which will go down as the single stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in politics,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
Sources close to Trump called the endorsement a strategic move to prevent early legislative gridlock.
“He can bury [Johnson] whenever he wants,” one source told Semafor. “Get through Jan. 20, get rolling on the border, rack up some wins, and then use the bully pulpit in full force from there on out.”
A delayed speaker election could complicate Trump’s January 6 election certification.
Johnson, who has recently spent considerable time with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and UFC events, quickly welcomed the endorsement.
“Together, we will quickly deliver on your America First agenda and usher in the new golden age of America,” Johnson responded on X. “The American people demand and deserve that we waste no time. Let’s get to work!”