House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) may be holding onto his leadership position by a thread, but he told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News on Sunday that presumed GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is "100%" with him as the House's leader.
Bartiromo started the conversation by asking about whether Johnson supported making Ukraine aid into a "loan" for the country rather than aid, an idea that Trump has mentioned recently.
“The former president, President Trump has talked about the possibility of turning aid for Ukraine into a loan. Is that what you’re considering?” she asked.
Johnson said, “Yes. You know, I had a great visit with him on Friday, and he and I are 100% united on these big agenda items.”
Bartiromo then addressed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-GA) frequent threats to call for a vote to vacate his speakership and what Trump thinks about that.
“Did you speak with President Trump privately about what Marjorie Taylor Greene is doing ?” she asked.
Taylor Greene is also a strong supporter of Trump, but has not let that sway her from her skepticism about Johnson.
Johnson answered, "I spent hours with the president on Friday. He and I talk frequently, many times, usually, in a week. We have a long relationship. He’s 100 percent with me. And he said, ‘We’ll get this job done.’ That’s a distraction."
Johnson made the point that Taylor Greene is hurting the party by constantly opposing the Speaker on minor issues like specific funding bills.
He said, "What Marjorie is done with a motion to vacate is not helpful for our party, for our mission to save the country. Because if we don’t grow the House majority, keep the House majority, win the Senate, and win back the White House for President Trump, we are going to lose the Republic.”
Johnson is right that the infighting among Republicans is sure to hurt the party if it continues until the election.
There has always been a small but fierce opposition to Trump from Republicans, and it will further splinter the party if even some Trump supporters continue fighting amongst themselves.
The current political polarization seems to be encouraging factions to splinter from the rest of their own party at times due to a single issue or an unrealistic notion of what a divided Congress can do.
It's a difficult position for Johnson as Speaker, but so far he seems to be making all the right moves and doing the best he can to hold the fragile Republican coalition together.
