Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
As president of the Chamber Mike Johnson seeks to retain his role, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisc., took aim at fellow Republican Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who has indicated he is “undecided” whether to vote for Johnson.
elected president donald trump endorsed Johnson for the job this week, but Roy noted during an appearance on Fox Business that he doesn’t think the speaker has the votes needed to win during Friday’s upcoming vote.
Van Orden assured in a post on X that Trump “received a mandate from the American people in November,” while Roy “did not.”
“It’s the America First Agenda, not the Chip Roy First Agenda. It’s Make America Great Again, not make Chip Roy Great. President Trump is fighting for America, Chip is fighting to keep his brand marketable,” Van Orden stated.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE RACE FOR THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
Left: Representative Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisconsin, speaks to the media before a vote on a continuing resolution to fund the government at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024; Right: Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., arrives at a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 22, 2024. (Left: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Right: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“Apparently, some people need to understand that in order to be a leader, you must first learn to follow. I would love to work with Chip, but he needs to understand that he can be part of the team, but there is no way. hell, it’s the captain The captain will be back in the White House shortly and his first lieutenant is @SpeakerJohnson,” Van Orden stated in the post.
Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for Roy seeking comment from the congressman.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has said he will not vote for Johnson to remain president.
Roy has indicated that he is “undecided” about Johnson, but calls for a change.
THE Hitchhiker’s Guide to NOT CHOOSING A PROVIDER FROM THE HOUSE QUICKLY
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., is seen outside the U.S. Capitol after the final votes before the August recess on July 25, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
“@RepThomasMassie will not vote for Hakeem Jefferies, unlike the GOP who voted with Dems (more Dems than GOP every time) to spend about $3 trillion and give 61bb to Ukraine with no border security,” Roy said in a post to X
“The reason I’m still undecided about the speaker vote (rather than a hard no) is that it’s not ALL @SpeakerJohnson’s fault and my desire is to give him grace & @realDonaldTrump room to deliver a solid agenda that we were elected for. But something HAS to change,” he noted.
Johnson’s path to victory is precarious, and could be derailed if another Republican joins Massie in strongly opposing Johnson’s bid to retain the speakership.
REP. VICTORIA SPARTZ ASKS THE SPEAKER OF ‘INSURANCE’ JOHNSON ‘HE WILL NOT COME TO US IN THE SWAMP’
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is seen outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram explained: “The winning candidate must obtain an absolute majority of all members voting for a candidate by name.”
Pergram outlined a possible scenario in which just two Republicans could keep Johnson from reaching the threshold needed to win. “So let’s say there are 434 members and they all vote for someone by name. The magic number is 218. If Johnson gets the votes of all 219 Republicans, he wins. If Johnson gets 218 votes, he also wins. But 217? No dice,” Pergram noted.
