Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is now under considerable fire from House Republicans for once again passing legislation that has more Democrat support than Republican, but that was not even the worst of it.
With Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) telling anyone who would listen that she was going to have Johnson removed, Donald Trump finally stepped in to show support for Johnson and try to quell this uprising in the House.
Talking Points…
- Republicans fuming over latest legislation
- Trump steps in
- Analysis
The uprising against Speaker Johnson has been a slow boil that is now approaching the lip of the pot and is about to spill over. Johnson has passed several bills, including the most recent military aid bills, with more Democrat than Republican support. After the last bill passed, Democrats were videoed waving Ukraine flags on the House floor.
After that legislation passed, Greene rehashed her motion to vacate. She has a slow-growing army of support behind her, but she may not have the full support of Democrats, which she would need to have Johnson removed as Speaker. This, however, was not the worst of it as far as some Republicans were concerned.
This week, Johnson appeared with Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) at a fundraiser in San Antonio. Gonzales has been very critical of MAGA and GOP hardliners in the past, which is not sitting well with some members of the GOP. It got worse when Gonzales called them all "real scumbags" only days before his big fundraiser. Ringing the bell right out of the gate was Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who has been very vocal about Johnson's failings as Speaker of the House. Roy was livid that Johnson appeared with Gonzales, stating:
"To have the speaker be in San Antonio campaigning for Tony … I'm just beside myself that that’s where things are.
"I'm being attacked. Conservatives are being attacked. Bob Good, the chairman of the Freedom Caucus, is being attacked by Tony. He said that he’s a Klansman. Yeah, I cannot tolerate what’s happening to the people that I think are standing up for this country."
The best way to describe Johnson is as a hybrid of establishment and MAGA. He is a bit of an enigma, so it is tough to really gauge his true feelings. My personal belief at this time is that he says what Trump wants to hear to stay in his good favor, but his actions speak far louder than his words these days. It has been business as usual in the House since he took the gavel, usually caving to Democrats rather than showing a backbone.
With MAGA Republicans now openly voicing their displeasure regarding Johnson, including one of Trump's biggest supporters in Congress, Rep. Greene, pushing to oust Johnson, Donald Trump finally stepped in to back Johnson, whom Trump openly promoted before he was selected as House Speaker and supported as Speaker after he was elected. Trump stated:
"Well, look, we have a majority of one, OK? It’s not like he can go and do whatever he wants to do. I think he’s a very good person.
"You know, he stood very strongly with me on NATO when I said NATO has to pay up …It's a tough situation when you have. I think he's a very good man. I think he’s trying very hard. And again, we've got to have a big election."
However, Greene does not back down on this issue, which is a surprise because she usually agrees with what Donald Trump wants. Greene stated:
"Mike Johnson’s leadership is over. He needs to do the right thing to resign and allow us to move forward in a controlled process.
"If he doesn't do so, he will be vacated."
Honestly, it was disappointing that Trump had not addressed this issue before. The ideal situation would be for Trump to call all interested parties to Mar-a-Lago to hash this out privately rather than airing dirty laundry in the media. Having said that, I understand the frustration on both sides, and I have been openly critical of Johnson myself, but to be honest, now is not the time to remove Johnson as the Speaker.
If House Republicans remove a second Speaker, I believe they cannot hold the House and expand their majority in November. And if we lose the House and fail to retake the Senate, winning the White House only serves to block Democrats free rein. Then think how disastrous this would be if Trump loses the election and Democrats control the entire government. My advice would be to suck it up and deal with it until after the election, with a major push to expand the House majority. Then, if they somehow manage to do that, make it clear that Johnson will be replaced in the next House Speaker election.
