Author: Bo Erickson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday endorsed House Speaker Mike Johnson, who will run for re-election this week with a slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
“Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & In total (EPA:) Confirmation. MAGA!!!,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The House of Representatives is scheduled to elect a speaker on Friday after the new Congress is sworn in. Trump’s support was crucial to Johnson’s hopes of retaining the leadership position he took over in October 2023.
The job puts him in close cooperation with Trump, who returns to the White House on January 20.
Thirty-four Republicans voted against Johnson’s interim funding bill in December, raising questions about whether some of them would support Johnson’s next bid for the presidency because they argued the bill favored Democrats.
Republicans hold a 219-215 majority in the House, meaning the vote will depend on whether Republicans maintain their unity.
Rep. Victoria Spartz, a Republican, said Monday on Fox News that she remains uninvolved, saying Johnson is afraid to bring up votes on fiscal legislation that could derail Trump’s plan.
“I can give him a chance, but I’d like to hear from him how he’s going to execute this plan,” Spartz said. She spoke before Trump announced his endorsement on social media.
