Johnson allies warn that a speakership battle could delay Trump’s victory certification

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s allies are leaning into a key argument in a bid to avoid a chaotic floor fight over the gavel on Friday: A vote against Johnson could delay the finalization of Donald Trump’s White House win.

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s allies are leaning into a key argument in a bid to avoid a chaotic floor fight over the gavel on Friday: A vote against Johnson could delay the finalization of Donald Trump’s White House win. A day before the speaker’s election, Johnson, who has been endorsed by Trump to keep the top leadership post, is still racing to win over multiple GOP holdouts, a scenario that some Republicans privately fear could lead to another days-long protracted floor fight. But this time, there’s a huge shadow over the race: Congress has never before tried to certify a presidential election without a House speaker in place. Even senior Republicans say it’s unclear what would happen if there is no speaker on January 6 — when Congress is scheduled to certify Trump’s win — and they’re not eager not to find out. “To oppose Johnson now weakens the GOP and strengthens Hakeem Jeffries. It also puts at risk the Electoral College Certification scheduled for 6 Jan. These guys serve as a ‘fifth column’ for the Dems,” Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska told CNN. The House can’t conduct any official business without a speaker, which means there are no clear options to certify Trump’s win without one, according to multiple sources. The message so far from Congress’s own parliamentarians to party leaders has been: Elect a speaker before January 6, according to one of those sources. Republicans are also acutely aware that they will have a narrow window to push through their agenda once they take control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. Trump’s inauguration is set to take place on January 20, but the election results need to be certified by Congress before he can take office.