On Jan. 3, U.S. Congressman Mike Johnson (R-LA) was officially elected to serve as Speaker of the House. Johnson was first elected on Oct. 25, 2023, after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the position.
McCarthy received serious backlash from Matt Gaetz, who publicly disagreed with McCarthy over spending bills. The feud between Gaetz and McCarthy is infamous as an example of intra-party divide within the right. McCarthy has noted ethical complaints about Gaetz, specifically the Justice Department’s sex trafficking investigation of Gaetz.
“Look, everybody has different people in their party. Unfortunately, Matt happens to be here. I think at the end of the day, he probably shouldn’t be on the streets,” McCarthy said.
Johnson was elected on the first ballot, however, the margin was narrow. Johnson received 218 votes and Representative Hakeem S. Jeffries (D-NY) received 215. All 215 Democrats in the House voted for Jeffries. Although Republicans hold a majority in the House, the margin is slim, so partisan agreement is essential for the future of the right.
Originally, three conservatives voted to block Johnson from re-election as speaker. However, Trump made multiple phone calls to urge them to support Johnson. Ralph Norman (R-S) and Keith Self (R-TX) eventually switched their votes to support Johnson.
“It’s an incredible honor to continue serving our great country as Speaker of the House. Now, let’s get to work,” Johnson said in a post on X.
Johnson has also faced several challenges and backlash since assuming the position in 2023. In April of 2024, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) filed a motion to vacate the chair against Johnson. Green has harshly criticized Johnson for his strategy to pass $95 billion in U.S. aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Johnson is now challenged with helping President-elect Donald Trump’s bill to pass. Provisions of the bill include border security, energy and manufacturing. Trump’s multitrillion-dollar bill will not easily be passed in a slim Republican majority of 219 Republicans to 215 Democrats.
Republicans now officially control both chambers of Congress, allowing for the executive branch’s agenda to flow more easily. However, with growing factionalism within the Republican Party, the cooperation seems even more difficult.
Trump and Johnson work as a close pair. Johnson joined Trump at a UFC fight in November 2024 and even joined Elon and RFK Jr. on Trump’s airplane. Johnson referred to himself as the quarterback and Trump as the coach.
“You all heard me say over the last year we were developing — using my football metaphors — we were developing a playbook. We have very well-designed plays. Now we are working out the sequence of those plays, working with a new head coach, in that metaphor, President Trump,” Johnson said.
Trump will take the oath of office on Jan. 20, and Republicans are settling on a game plan for the first 100 days of the administration to maximize Republican accomplishments. The first 100 days of a presidential term have a symbolic significance, as is commonly used as a benchmark for measuring success. Although not in office yet, Trump has already begun to take on roles on a global stage, including visiting Notre Dame for its reopening ceremony.
