Donald Trump narrowly avoids nightmare scenario with confirmation of Mike Johnson as House speaker
The US has come within a whisker of political chaos unfolding which would have turned Donald Trump’s presidency into disarray.
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The US has come within a whisker of a political nightmare after the Republican speaker of the country’s House of Representatives just squeaked back into the role.
There were fears hard line Republicans politicians would refuse to vote for Louisiana politician Mike Johnson – a prospect that would have led the US into a chaotic political stalemate just as Donald Trump was due to take office.
As it was, Mr Johnson only mustered enough votes from his fellow Republicans after a second count on Friday, US time On the first ballot, enough Republican Congress men and women joined with Democrats to scotch Mr Johnson’s initial bid.
President-elect Trump congratulated Mr Johnson hailing his victory as a sign of the country’s bright future.
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“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,” Mr Trump, who had backed Johnson, posted on social media.
“America will be greater than ever before!”
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Mr Johnson had angered backbenchers by working with Democrats to pass legislation, and his victory was secured only after tense backroom negotiations that saw more than a dozen rank-and-file Republicans voice doubts over his leadership.
A chaotic 2023-25 session was marked by conservative anger in particular over the Louisiana politician's handling of spending negotiations, as fiscal hawks lined up to accuse him of being soft on the deficit.
In the end there were only three Republican holdouts as voting began — with all 215 Democrats backing their leader Hakeem Jeffries. Mr Johnson was able to keep his speakership ambitions alive by persuading two to change tack.
With the exception of Kentucky conservative hardliner Thomas Massie, the opposition to Mr Johnson always looked superficial, and he had spent much of the week working the phones and holding meetings with the conservatives who had opposed his candidacy.
He appeared to assuage some lingering doubts in the hours before the vote by pledging to “reduce the size and scope of the federal government, hold the bureaucracy accountable, and move the United States to a more sustainable fiscal trajectory.”
And Mr Trump weighed in early on Friday with a social media post wishing Johnson “Good luck” and declaring him “very close to having 100 per cent support.”
With the vote looking set to go down to the wire, former Democratic speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is 84 and recently suffered a fractured hip, turned up to cast her ballot, wearing flat heels for possibly the first time in her career.
Trump avoids embarrassment
Defeat for Mr Johnson would have marked another embarrassment for Mr Trump, who was shown the limits of his sway over House Republicans after they rebuffed his demands for a suspension of the country’s borrowing limit in December.
Mr Trump’s looming presidential inauguration had also raised the stakes of the speakership fight, since the House would not have been able to certify the 78-year-old Republican’s victory, set for Monday.
Mr Johnson would also have risked losing Mr Trump’s support if the battle dragged out further, with moderate Republicans beginning to cast around for other options.
The speaker wields key influence in Washington by presiding over House business and is second in line to the presidency, after the vice president.
But Mr Johnson has been weakened by the standoff with his party’s hardliners, who demonstrated the leverage they hold given the Republicans’ wafer-thin majority in the lower house of Congress.
“Mike Johnson brings people together to achieve a shared goal. He is deeply committed to conservative values and advancing a pro-America agenda. He is making Louisiana proud,” said Bill Cassidy, who represents Johnson’s home state in the Senate.
“Americans trust Mike to lead the House effectively and with integrity this Congress. I do too!”
House Republicans are scheduled to gather for a retreat in Washington DC on Saturday to talk about their plans for 2025, and the leadership meets again on Sunday in Baltimore.
But the first order of business will be to consider a controversial proposed change to its rules package — which governs daily operations — that would allow only Republicans to force a vote on removing the speaker.
Democrats argue that the reform would leave Mr Johnson answerable only to his own side rather than whole chamber. In the last Congress, any single House member could introduce a “motion to vacate” the speaker’s chair.
The 36-page rules package for the 119th Congress raises the threshold to nine co-sponsors from the majority party.
Originally published as Donald Trump narrowly avoids nightmare scenario with confirmation of Mike Johnson as House speaker
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