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Former President Donald Trump expressed support for House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday when asked about Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to remove the Louisiana Republican from the speakership.
Trump, standing next to Johnson at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, said: “I get along very well with Johnson, and I get along very well with Marjorie.” But it was a complicated process, and I don’t think it’s an easy situation for any speaker.”
Officials said Friday’s event at Mar-a-Lago was the speaker’s idea, but as Greene threatened a forced vote to oust her from the top leadership post, Johnson It comes as he faces the most serious challenge yet for his chairmanship in Washington. .
Mr Johnson’s decision to hold the event with the former president comes as he faces intense pressure from the right over a range of policy issues, including aid to Ukraine, and faces key decisions about his path forward. , an opportunity to seek political protection.
On Friday, President Trump said Johnson was “doing a very good job.”
“And I think Marjorie understands that, she’s a very good friend of mine. And I know that she has great respect for the speaker,” Trump said. Ta.
Sources say Johnson has another mission in mind for his meeting with President Trump. That means asking the former president’s opinion on possible support measures for Ukraine. This is a politically dangerous policy issue that could anger President Trump and divide House Republicans and the party. Mr. Johnson’s lecture for newcomers ends. Some of the Speaker’s allies are keeping President Trump in the loop regarding his plans for Ukraine, recognizing that legislation could be blocked not only by Johnson’s chairmanship but also by Trump’s support or opposition. He advises Mr. Johnson to stay on top of it.
Johnson and Trump also used Friday afternoon’s joint news conference to “draw attention” to the state’s proposal and lawsuit to allow non-citizens to vote, according to a senior Trump adviser. Currently, federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and noncitizens who vote illegally risk up to a year in prison and deportation fines. But President Trump has routinely falsely claimed that Democrats want to bring in illegal immigrants to influence elections.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson set up the vote with a cynical political message, pledging to vote on a bill that would require proof of citizenship to vote, even though it is already illegal.
“We are going to do everything we can to ensure free and fair elections in this country…We want everyone who registers to vote in a federal election to be an American citizen first. We are introducing legislation that will require people to prove that they are,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. , standing next to the former president.
The issue has become something of a rallying cry for Republicans as they seek to stoke fears over immigration and election security ahead of the November election, as voters continue to cite the border issue as a top priority. There is.
Mr. Trump’s influence, and the extent to which he taps into House Republican infighting, could be a powerful force in the race for the speakership.
Johnson’s allies have urged Trump to publicly support the speaker or at least stay out of any communications with House Republicans, according to multiple sources close to Johnson and Trump. That’s what it means.
Mr. Trump has already shown how he will make governing even more difficult for Mr. Johnson. Just this week, the former president called on Republicans to repeal the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a stance Trump took as he tried to pass the reauthorization bill on the floor. After President Trump called for the bill to be repealed, a group of hard-line conservatives revolted against Republican leadership, blocked a vote on the floor, and reversed efforts to pass the bill.
On Thursday, Majority Leader Steve Scalise told reporters that lawmakers had discussed FISA with President Trump over the past 24 hours after the president called on them to “kill FISA” before voting on the procedure. Told.
“I’ve had some conversations with the president, and I’m not going to share those conversations, but I think a two-year sinking has a lot of appeal for a lot of people,” Scalise said.
The bill has two years left to expire, meaning that if Trump wins the presidential election, it will be up to him to decide whether to change the FISA law next time. The revised bill passed the House of Representatives on Friday afternoon, but the amendment failed by one vote, prompting anger from some conservatives.
Johnson has long been an ardent supporter of Trump and was behind the scenes supporting Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. CNN previously reported that after the election, Johnson sent an email from his personal email account to all House Republicans, announcing that he would be entering into a long-running Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate electoral votes from Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. It was reported that a signature requesting support was requested. The case was ultimately dismissed by the Supreme Court.
But it’s unclear what, if anything, Trump will do now that Johnson faces the threat of a vote to remove him from the chair.
When Mr. Johnson was elected speaker of the House of Representatives, he was initially supported by conservatives, given that his ideology has long been considered more right-wing than former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. But as speaker, Mr. Johnson faces the challenge of overseeing the passage of key legislation such as the government funding bill with support from Democrats and with a historically slim majority, a move that has angered conservatives. ing.
Greene indicated Thursday that she would continue her efforts to oust Johnson even if Trump endorsed him in their meeting on Friday.
Greene said she considered the effort to oust Johnson “separate” from the effort between former President Johnson and the speaker. Asked repeatedly by CNN’s Manu Raju whether she would continue her efforts to oust Johnson even if President Trump supports him, Greene repeatedly indicated she was not ready to halt the effort.
“I believe the motion to leave is also supported by a significant number of members of the chamber. It is an internal matter within the House regarding our elected Speaker. They are two separate issues entirely. We will have a great meeting tomorrow. I hope so,” she said.
But many House Republicans don’t want to see Mr. Johnson stripped of the gavel, and the chaos that consumed Congress for weeks after conservatives ousted Mr. McCarthy in a historic and unprecedented vote last year. and fear of returning to dysfunction.
Johnson told House Republicans in a closed session Wednesday that he spoke with the former president the day before. But when asked by CNN whether he had sought Trump’s support in the face of a potential vote to oust him, Johnson said: “I am not going to comment on my conversations with President Trump.” Ta.
Trump’s team also declined to comment on the call.
But Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that if the vote to remove the Speaker was forced, “there would be chaos in the House of Commons”.
Greene, one of Trump’s staunchest supporters, also told CNN that she recently spoke with the president, but declined to say how he felt about her efforts.
Johnson and Greene were also seen speaking on the House floor on Friday. Mr Johnson said the two talked about “all sorts of things”, adding: “Dialogue is important.”
“Marjorie and I agree on a conservative philosophy,” Johnson told reporters. “We just have different ideas about strategy from time to time. The important thing about governing in times of divided government like we have now is communicating with your members, understanding the thought process behind it, and It’s about understanding that they have a voice.”
Still, Greene is among the conservatives who harshly criticized Johnson after amendments they supported were not included in the FISA reauthorization.
“Speaker Johnson was the last vote to kill an amendment that would end warrantless surveillance of Americans. What is the difference between Speaker Johnson and Speaker Nancy Pelosi?” she wrote on Friday On.・I wrote this on X. “I think this will convey to many people what I have been saying.”
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Claire Foran, Manu Raju, Fredreka Shorten, Lauren Fox, Hayley Talbot and Christine Wilson contributed to this report.
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