Speaker gets lifeline from Trump amid threat to job
Speaker Mike Johnson had a difficult week. He is facing a revolt from one of the most conservative members of his caucus that could cost him his job. The prospect of providing additional aid to Ukraine continues to meet opposition. And it took three tries for the House to renew a warrantless surveillance bill.
Then Friday, he flew to Florida, where the man who has contributed to many of his challenges threw him a crucial lifeline in his hour of need.
“I stand with the speaker,” former President Donald Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Palm Beach, as Johnson stood behind him and nodded along.
It was a message the speaker needed at a tenuous moment in his leadership, when he faces the threat from one of Trump's most loyal allies, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., of a motion to oust him.
It is not clear how far Trump's endorsement will go. The former president wields remarkable influence on House Republicans when it comes to stymieing legislation he opposes, but his support was not enough to keep Johnson's predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, from a five-day, 15-round ordeal to secure the speakership in the first place.
Johnson oversees a fractious and thin majority in the House, a reality Trump acknowledged when asked about Greene's threat to push Johnson from his position.
“He's doing a really good job under really tough circumstances,” said Trump, who has helped undermine Johnson's legislative agenda by voicing opposition to some of his efforts.
He called the threat of a move to oust Johnson “unfortunate,” adding, “This is not an easy situation for any speaker.” And he said: “I'm sure that Majorie understands that.”
Even in light of Trump's remarks, there appears to be little political downside for Greene to follow through on her threat to oust Johnson if he brings an aid package for Ukraine to the floor.
Trump, who has repeatedly railed against providing more aid to Ukraine, did not fully back Johnson's effort to provide additional U.S. military assistance to the nation as it continues to fight against Russia's invading forces.
But he moderated his stance Friday, saying that the two had discussed the issue and that he believed they might find common ground in offering aid “in the form of a loan,” an idea the former president has pushed for months.
In a social media post after Friday's news conference, Greene signaled that Trump's high-profile show of support had not changed her view of the speaker. After voicing her continued loyalty to the former president, she said, “But I do not support Speaker Johnson.”