Trump and Musk Back Johnson in Bid to Ward Off Speaker Fight

President-elect Donald Trump offered his “Complete & Total Endorsement” to Speaker Mike Johnson, intervening to head off a potentially crippling leadership fight in the House that threatened to slow his second-term agenda.

“The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all of the destructive policies of the last Administration. Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN,” Trump said in a post to his Truth Social network on Monday.

Johnson also earned the backing of billionaire Elon Musk, who has emerged since the election as a close and outspoken Trump adviser and earlier this month complicated Johnson’s efforts to pass a stop-gap spending measure. “I feel the same way! You have my full support,” Musk wrote on his social-media platform X after Trump’s endorsement.

The House is slated to hold its vote for speaker on Jan. 3. While no declared challenger to Johnson had emerged, some Republicans worried that a fight over the position could delay efforts to enact Trump’s agenda and even the certification of his election victory. The party will hold a narrow majority in the incoming House.

Mike Johnson

Photographer: Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg

Johnson has faced criticism from ultraconservative lawmakers after backing a temporary spending deal that failed to include Trump’s demands for lifting the US debt ceiling. He has only been speaker since October 2023, taking over the post after a chaotic stretch that saw members of the House GOP caucus take the gavel from Kevin McCarthy and struggle to settle on a replacement.

Johnson said he was “honored and humbled” by Trump’s support in a post on X, adding that he would work with him to “quickly deliver on your America First agenda.”

Trump issued his endorsement a day after a senior Republican lawmaker urged the president-elect to weigh in and help avoid a fight for the speakership.

“We have five Republicans that won’t commit to voting for Mike Johnson — and he can only lose one or two votes,” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures. Comer said he would “strongly encourage” Trump to urge those members to vote for Johnson.

Earlier: Trump Urged by GOP Ally to Clear Path for House Speaker Vote

--With assistance from Ramsey Al-Rikabi.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Hadriana Lowenkron in Washington at hlowenkron@bloomberg.net;
Maria Luiza Rabello in Washington at mrabello@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Justin Sink at jsink1@bloomberg.net

Meghashyam Mali, Michelle Jamrisko

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