Mike Johnson’s Uphill Battle Continues, Priority is Certify Presidential Election

Despite President Trump’s endorsement, Mike Johnson’s bid to retain the speaker’s face some opposition.

With a thin majority, he can’t afford defections.

Rep. Thomas Massie has already vowed not to back him.

Johnson’s allies warn those holding out that chaos will arrive if the House fails to elect a speaker before certifying the election.

And that’s the last thing we want right now.

Regardless of what some may think of Johnson, we need him to certify that election and make it as smooth as possible to Jan. 20th.

Once President Donald Trump is sworn, I don’t care what these people try to do. Why? Because the Boss is back and if they’re out of line, they’ll be set straight.

And quick!

The fear of Trump (via through God) will fall on politicians and they’ll finally do their job or they’re out. Simple as.

CNN reports:

House Speaker Mike Johnson faces a tough fight to retain the gavel even after an endorsement from Donald Trump, a test of the president-elect’s influence over his party amid the limits of an extraordinarily narrow majority.

Trump’s endorsement could help Johnson shore up support, especially after the speaker navigated a chaotic government funding fight earlier this month that drew the ire of his right flank. But with a historically small majority in the new Congress, Johnson can afford only a single Republican defection when the House picks a new speaker on Friday if every member votes.

And one House Republican – Rep. Thomas Massie – has already said he doesn’t plan to vote for Johnson. The Kentucky Republican told CNN on Monday that Trump’s endorsement does not change his position.

In addition to Trump’s endorsement, any GOP holdouts could also face pressure from Johnson allies over the potential consequences for the incoming president if the House does not quickly elect a speaker.

Congress has never before tried to certify a presidential election without a House speaker in place, and Republicans across Washington are privately trying to game out what might happen if that scenario were to arise.

Johnson allies undertake extensive whip operation
Over the last several weeks, Johnson’s deputies have launched an expansive whip operation, but there are still intense challenges to getting the Louisiana Republican to 218 votes – the magic number needed to win the gavel.

One Republican lawmaker familiar with the outreach told CNN that while the vast majority of GOP members understand how “monumentally stupid” it could be to have an extensive speaker’s battle, not every member is swayed by an argument that the party needs to be united going into the inauguration.

Trump said on Monday that Johnson has his “complete” and “total” endorsement.

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Johnson faces conservative ire after spending fight
After Johnson cut a deal with Democrats over spending in mid-December, Trump injected a last-minute demand to raise the debt ceiling that left Johnson grasping for a Plan B. A revised GOP plan ultimately failed to get enough Republican votes to pass and caused grumbling among Johnson’s right flank that the speaker wasn’t up to the job. It also caused some to wonder whether Trump would stick with Johnson ahead of the speaker fight.

Massie said earlier this month that he did not plan to back Johnson in the speaker’s race.

Another challenge: The House Freedom Caucus, which includes some of the members most wary of reelecting Johnson, has not come out with a unified list of demands, creating a situation in which every member is acting a bit as a free agent.

It will be interesting to see how 2025 plays out for Johnson.

President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Speaker Mike Johnson for another term on Monday, but Republican hold outs remain, potentially stalling the new Congress before it even begins. More: https://t.co/UPvuT8nlhl pic.twitter.com/uX4egyuMeJ

— NewsNation (@NewsNation) December 31, 2024

I’m humbled and honored to receive President Trump’s endorsement once again for Speaker.

Together, we WILL implement the America First agenda and deliver for the American people. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/pTmd7kx0pH

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) December 31, 2024

At the end of the day…it real is President Trump’s choice.

This guy makes a great point about that. (Warning, he drops a few “F” bombs)

There is only one choice for Speaker of the House and it’s @MikeJohnson

It really is that simple. pic.twitter.com/R1NWzVdT7r

— The Older Millennial (@teameffujoe) December 31, 2024