Monday morning on Truth Social, President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Mike Johnson, R-La., to remain on as speaker of the House.
In a post discussing Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign funds and the Democratic Party at large, Trump wrote, “The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all of the destructive policies of the last Administration.”
He continued, “Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!”
Johnson responded to the endorsement in an X post, writing, “Thank you, President Trump! I’m honored and humbled by your support, as always.”
He added, “Together, we will quickly deliver on your America First agenda and usher in the new golden age of America. The American people demand and deserve that we waste no time. Let’s get to work! 🇺🇸”
Meanwhile on X, Trump’s endorsement has spiked debate among Republicans on keeping Johnson as speaker. Some, including podcaster Nick Sortor, have called Johnson a “weak” candidate, while others have maintained support.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., also expressed concern on X over the endorsement, writing, “I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan. We’ve seen Johnson partner with the democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget.”
Massie’s concern over the budget may come from a 1,500-page continuing resolution Johnson helped broker just before Christmas.
Vivek Ramaswamy, the soon to be head of the Department of Government Efficiency, found the bill to contain “dozens of unrelated policy items.” In an X post he added, “It’s indefensible to ram these measures through at the last second without debate.”
Several days later on Dec. 20, the bill was slimmed down to 118 pages and passed in both the House and the Senate.