Trump says he likes Johnson, the House GOP’s choice for speaker

One day after tanking House Majority Whip Tom Emmer‘s (R-MN) bid to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as House speaker, former President Donald Trump expressed support for Rep. Mike Johnson‘s (R-LA) speaker bid but stopped short of endorsing him.

Trump thanked congressional Republicans who have remained divided for weeks over who should replace McCarthy before choosing Johnson and claimed that “Even the Fake News Media is impressed with what took place.” Johnson is the fourth nominee after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Emmer all dropped out of the race due to lack of support from 217 Republicans needed to clinch the speakership or approval from the former president.

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“Yesterday was a big and very important day. It gave us a quick and easy way forward with 5 candidates who are beyond reproach, and represent the absolute best there is in the Republican Party,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

While Trump thanked all of the candidates who announced a House speaker run Tuesday after Emmer dropped out, he didn’t go so far as to say he would endorse Johnson.

“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,” Trump continued. “In 2024, we will have an even bigger, & more important, WIN! My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & GET IT DONE, FAST! LOVE, DJT.”

Trump came out against Emmer’s bid in part because the Minnesota congressman had voted to certify the results of the 2020 election and argued that voting for him would be a “tragic mistake.”

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“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, derogatorily referring to Emmer as a Republican in name only. “He never respected the Power of a Trump Endorsement, or the breadth and scope of MAGA — MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! He fought me all the way, and actually spent more time defending Ilhan Omar, than he did me — He is totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters.”

Johnson won the nomination Tuesday night in a closed-door conference vote, but he will still need to get to 217 votes in the House in order to secure the speakership. The full House is expected to vote on the speaker’s gavel sometime on Wednesday afternoon.