Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
President-elect Trump successfully rallied House Republicans Friday to re-elect House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. – Overcoming deep intra-party divisions and allaying concerns about Trump’s ability to unify the party after the spectacular collapse of a government spending bill late last month.
That invoice, which saw 38 republican defectors and threatened a partial government shutdown, stoking fears that Trump’s previously firm grip on the Republican Party may be waning, concerns that were quickly quelled Friday evening after Trump managed to secure a majority of votes for to a Speaker of the House whose party he has only. a razor-thin majority in the House and that faced vehement opposition from members of the House Freedom Caucus.
Three Republicans originally voted against Johnson, and seven other members remained silent. Most Republicans allowed Johnson only one defector from the GOP, and after the first round of voting, it was unclear whether or how the party could overcome the odds.
MIKE JOHNSON RE-ELECTED AS SPEAKER AS GOP RIOT THREAT DISSOLVED
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., left, shakes hands with President-elect Trump at the Hyatt Regency in Washington, DC on November 13, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
In the end, all but one holdover changed their vote, with many directly crediting Trump as a sign of his continued influence in the party.
At least two of the Republican holdovers who reversed course to support Johnson as speaker said they did so after multiple conversations with Trump.
Trump spoke by phone with Reps. Ralph Norman, R-Texas, and Keith Self, R-Texas, after they had initially voted for someone other than Johnson to be the speaker.
Self, one of two holdovers who switched his “no” vote on Johnson to a “yes” vote, told reporters Friday that he made the decision after multiple phone conversations with the president-elect.
“This was about how we make Trump’s agenda succeed,” Self told reporters of his decision to back Johnson. “We need to be strong as a Republican conference to make Trump’s agenda as successful as possible. That’s what this was all about.”
Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, arrives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, for a procedural vote on a motion to vacate House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Dec. 3 October 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Norman also later confirmed to reporters that he spoke with Trump. “He just made his point about how Mike is the only one who could be elected,” Norman said. He added that Trump did not change his vote, but a “commitment that things will change” from Johnson.
sources he said on Fox News on Friday that the president-elect was in “constant communication” with House Republicans throughout the process.
The 11 Republican members of the House Freedom Caucus, who had sparred with Johnson over various provisions of the government spending bill late last month, did not comment. In a letter Friday night, the members said their decision to back Johnson was based solely on their support for the president-elect.
The letter, written by Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said they are supporting Johnson “because of our strong support for President Trump and to ensure the certification opportune of their constituents.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“We did so despite our sincere reservations about the president’s track record over the past 15 months,” the letter said. “Now, President Johnson must demonstrate that he will not stop enacting President Trump’s bold agenda.”
Johnson, meanwhile, thanked Trump directly in one publish to X.
“Thank you, President Trump! Today is a new day in America. Republicans in Congress must stand together to quickly deliver President Trump’s America First agenda,” he said. “Let’s do it.”
