Trump endorses Mike Johnson to return as US House speaker, despite backlash
Al Jazeera
President-elect Donald Trump had previously clashed with Speaker Johnson over the passage of a bipartisan spending bill.
United States President-elect Donald Trump has endorsed the continued leadership of Mike Johnson in the House of Representatives, in an apparent attempt to limit Republican discord in the new year.
In a post to his online platform Truth Social on Monday, Trump appealed to his Make America Great Again (MAGA) base in rallying support for Johnson, who currently serves as speaker of the House.
“Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!” Trump wrote.
But the path ahead for Johnson is likely to be a fraught one. On January 3, a new Congress convenes, following November’s general election. And Republicans are gearing up for a tense showdown over who will be voted the next speaker, the highest officer in the House of Representatives.
Johnson is the most likely candidate, as the incumbent speaker. But his role in passing a last-minute budget bill earlier this month revealed fractures in the Republican caucus — and a possible backlash to his leadership.
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