Mike Johnson reelected speaker with Trump's backing
Mike Johnson was re-elected as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, receiving 218 votes. His main rival, the Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, received 215 votes.
Initially, Johnson did not have the required majority, but thanks to negotiations with congressmen Keith Self and Ralph Norman, who changed their stance, he managed to win. Johnson emphasized that he did not make any concessions to the "rebels." Self admitted that he had a conversation with President-elect Donald Trump, who strongly supported Johnson.
Trump strongly supported Johnson and reiterated this endorsement on Friday before the vote, and after it, he congratulated him.
"Mike will be a Great Speaker, and our Country will be the beneficiary. The People of America have waited four years for Common Sense, Strength, and Leadership. They'll get it now, and America will be greater than ever before!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Ultimately, among the Republicans, only Thomas Massie did not vote for Johnson. Massie voted for Tom Emmer, the third in the party hierarchy.
Plans and challenges
Johnson announced that his priority would be the "America First" principle, securing the borders, and strengthening the armed forces. He also wants to reduce government bureaucracy and "instill fear in our overseas enemies." Despite Trump's support, Johnson faced criticism for budget compromises with Democrats and support for Ukraine.
Before the vote, Johnson committed to establishing a group of experts to work with Elon Musk's DOGE commission on reducing budget spending. This was a gesture towards critics who accused him of extravagance.
As former Acting Speaker Patrick McHenry told CNN, votes against Johnson were, in his view, a "marking of territory" by the most right-wing congressmen. He also included five other congressmen in this group who initially refused to vote but ultimately voted for Johnson.
"In my view, the best way to think of this is you have a dog that is now marking their territory. You have a group of House Republicans that are peeing on the closest lamp post to say they're in charge," McHenry said.
New congressional term
Johnson, a congressman from Louisiana, assumed leadership in the House in October 2023 after a revolt against Kevin McCarthy. He was elected only after a record 15 rounds of voting and the defeat of three more well-known candidates. As Speaker, at the turn of 2023 and 2024, he held back a funding package for Ukraine for half a year but eventually relented. In December, he announced that he would follow President Trump's instructions on this matter.
Friday's vote and the subsequent swearing-in of congressmen marked the beginning of the 119th Congressional term. This coming Monday, both houses of Congress will officially certify the presidential election results.
In the new Congress, Republicans have a four-vote advantage in the House of Representatives, but their number of seats will temporarily decrease to 217 after Mike Waltz and Elise Stefanik take positions in the new administration. Republicans also took control of the Senate, securing 53 seats. The new Senate Majority Leader is John Thune from South Dakota.
