On November 13, 2024, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump shook hands with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) when meeting with Republican members of the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S.
Brian Snyder | Reuters
President-elect Trump once again calls on fellow Republicans to select Rep. Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House of Representatives House of Representatives On Friday, the 119th Congress prepares to convene.
As Trump gains support on social media, Johnson – whose current term as speaker expires at 11 a.m. ET – faces a potentially tight vote in the House, where Republicans hold a slim majority occupy the majority.
If every one of the 434 House members showed up to vote, Johnson would need nearly all Republicans to vote for him to become speaker.
“Good luck today to Speaker Mike Johnson, a talented and good man who is very close to 100% support,” Trump wrote in a post on The Truth Society.
“Mike’s victory today would be a major victory for the Republican Party and yet another validation of our most important presidential election in 129 years!!” Trump wrote. “A big yes indeed. MAGA!”
Johnson, who represents a Louisiana district, needs a majority of House members to be present for Friday’s vote to become the 119th Congressional speaker. Voting is scheduled to begin just before 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
The Republican Party has 219 seats in the new Congress. Democrats will nominate Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York as speaker, and they hold 215 seats.
That narrow split means that if every House member was present and every Democrat voted for Jeffries, Johnson would need at least 218 Republican votes to be elected speaker.
If two or more Republicans decide to vote for someone else, Johnson’s overall approval rating will drop below 218 and he will not be elected speaker on that vote.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has said he does not plan to support Johnson, leaving him with no leeway if Massie follows through on his promise.
Johnson was first elected speaker on October 25, 2023, and three weeks later, then-Rep. He was ousted from the position when a handful of Republican members joined Democrats in voting to oust California Republican Kevin McCarthy.
Johnson is the fourth nominee being considered to replace McCarthy.
McCarthy himself was sacked after just nine months in the role – after four days of voting and 15 votes, he was first elected speaker in January 2023.
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.
About The Author
