New York Post

Speaker’s ‘survival’ chat at the ‘Mar’

- Diana Glebova

House Speaker Mike Johnson made a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago Friday to meet with perhaps the only man who can ensure his political survival — former President Donald Trump — amid intra-party pressure to strip Johnson of the gavel.

Johnson (R-La.) and the 45th president took questions from reporters for about 20 minutes as the speaker faces threats from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to call for a vote on his removal.

“I think he’s doing a very good job,” Trump, 77, said of Johnson. “He’s doing about as good as you’re going to do. And I’m sure that Marjorie understand­s that, and she’s a very good friend of mine, and I know she has a lot of respect for the speaker.”

The trip marked the first time Johnson has met with Trump since he became the presumptiv­e GOP presidenti­al nominee, but the two have met several times before and have had a working relationsh­ip for years — culminatin­g in Trump endorsing Johnson, 52, for speaker following his predecesso­r Kevin McCarthy’s ouster Oct. 3.

A source familiar with the plans told The Post that Friday’s visit had been in place for “weeks.”

For Johnson, however, his escape to Florida came at the perfect time after relentless criticism from Greene for even suggesting he could bring up Ukraine funding on the House floor.

“We’re getting along very well with the speaker and I get along very well with Marjorie,” Trump said.

“We have a speaker who was voted in and it was a complicate­d process and I think very — it’s not an easy situation for any speaker,” the 45th president went on.

Johnson, meanwhile, focused on arguing that the top issue in November is border security, which he said was tied to election integrity.

The speaker said the House will soon introduce a bill that “will require proof of citizenshi­p to vote.”

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