Mike Johnson, a conservative Republican from Louisiana, is the new speaker of the House of Representatives. After 22 days of political paralysis and three rejected candidates, the chaos in the lower house ended.
Johnson, after securing the nomination on Tuesday night, managed to win the support of conservatives and centrists in his caucus and surpassed the 217 votes needed to win the presidential gavel.
Johnson, 51, is an attorney and is serving his fourth legislative term. A staunch opponent of abortion rights, divorce and the rights of the lgbtq+ community, the conservative was part of Donald Trump’s defense team in his second impeachment trial and played an active role in the 2020 election to annul its results. . In addition, he helped the former president oppose the certification of the election on January 6, 2021.
Mike Johnson, in his first speech on the floor, said:
“The country demands strong leadership from this body and we must not give in. Our greatest ally in the Middle East is under attack. The first bill I will present, soon, is to support our dear friend Israel. “We are late to this.”
President Joe Biden commented on Johnson’s victory, after being asked if he was worried about a new attempt to overturn the 2024 presidential election.
“No, because it’s not… Look, I’m not even worried about the final annulment of the election. They filed 60 cases, went to the Supreme Court, and lost every time. “I understand the Constitution.”
At the same time, the support of Trump is the key, who in his social network supported Johnson, after criticizing the previous candidates.
Donald Trump, former US president, said in New York:
“He will be a great Speaker of the House and we are very happy to help. I have known him for a long time. He is an amazing leader.”
After the attempts of Steve Scalise and Tom Emmer, high-ranking moderates in the Republican caucus, and the super conservative Jim Jordan, who reached the floor only to be rejected, Johnson was the name that brought everyone together.
But this week’s Republican tussle over the presidency has revealed bitter, often deeply personal divisions within the party, analysts say, making life difficult for Johnson as House speaker.
Johnson as president will immediately face several major challenges: first, the Nov. 17 deadline to pass a measure to fund the government to avoid a shutdown. And he will lead a bank deeply divided over foreign policy, particularly over continued war spending in Ukraine. Johnson opposes this funding — an issue that has become a hard dividing line within the Republican Party.
