Trump tells House Republicans his ‘strong suggestion’ would be to vote for Mike Johnson and pick a new speaker ‘fast’ – after former president helped sink Tom Emmer’s bid in just four hours
- Mike Johnson is the fourth nominee for the post since Kevin McCarthy was voted
- ‘My strong suggestion is to go with the leading candidate, Johnson.’ said Trump
- A day earlier he killed off Tom Emmer’s run, calling him a RINO
After sabotaging Tom Emmer’s run for House speaker, former President Donald Trump on Wednesday swung his support behind Rep. Mike Johnson and urged a swift end to the paralysis gripping the Republican Party.
Johnson won the speaker nomination late on Tuesday night but now faces the tricky business of finding the 217 votes he needs to win.
It makes him the fourth nominee since Kevin McCarthy was ousted 22 days ago.
‘I am not going to make an endorsement in this race, because I could never go against any of these fine and very talented men, all of whom have supported me, in both mind and spirit, from the very beginning of our great 2016 Victory,’ he said of the candidates who have declared for the post.
‘My strong suggestion is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson.’
Republican lawmakers booed, jeered and were overall dismissive of a reporter asking the latest Speaker nominee Mike Johnson about his vote to overturn the 2020 election results. Rep. Virginia Foxx (lower right) shouted: ‘Shut up, shut up!’
Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the race on Wednesday morning, throwing his weight behind Johnson, while saying it did not amount to an endorsement
Trump also praised him as he arrived in court for his ongoing civil fraud trial.
‘I think he’s going to be a fantastic speaker,’ he said.
Johnson follows in the footsteps of Emmer, who won the nomination on Tuesday before being quickly derided by Trump.
‘I have many wonderful friends wanting to be speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors.
‘RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them,’ he posted on Truth Social, using an abbreviation for ‘Republican in name only.’
Emmer, of Minnesota, jumped into a lead during private morning balloting on Tuesday, ahead of a field of lesser-known congressman. He took 117 votes in a roll call behind closed doors.
Trump allies, such as the influential hard-right activist Steve Bannon, quickly took against him, pointing to his support of a same-sex marriage initiative and what they saw as criticisms of the former president.
Once Trump came out so hard his candidacy was all but dead.
Cue another round of private voting.
Trump delivered his thoughts on social media before heading to court in New York for his civil fraud trial, where he is accused of fiddling asset prices
Emmer’s downfall was solidified after he was targeted by Donald Trump on Truth Social
Johnson, a man considered to be well-liked in the chamber, scored an outsized victory with 128 votes in a secret ballot – 99 more than next-best Byron Donalds. However, the win was bittersweet, as he still fell well short of the 217 votes needed to become speaker.
In the meantime, Congress remains paralyzed, unable to pass legislation while the House is without a speaker.
Republican infighting has left the House leaderless since Oct. 3, unable to respond to the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, or to take action to keep federal agencies funded past Nov. 17.
‘Democracy is messy sometimes, but it is our system,’ Johnson said Tuesday, flanked by members of the House after securing the nomination.
Lawmakers are due to vote on Johnson, a conservative from Louisiana who has billed himself as a bridge builder, at midday.
He defended the former president during the impeachment hearings and contested the results of the 2020 election. Emmer ultimately voted to certify Joe Biden’s victory on January 6, 2021,
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