Trump endorsed Mike Johnson for House speaker. His future is still anything but certain
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Some members of an unruly GOP caucus remain unenthused with Johnson — but what’s the alternative?. Mike Johnson is days away from facing the music as the House of Representatives is set to meet and elect a new speaker for the 119th Congress. The Trump loyalist’s term as speaker began after he emerged as a consensus candidate last fall, thanks to his ability to win over both moderates and institutionalist Republicans while also maintaining friendly(ish) ties with his party’s frenzied right wing. His election occurred after the chamber was shut down for nearly a month following the ouster of Kevin McCarthy, his predecessor, from the speaker’s chair by a rebellion within the GOP caucus.
![[Chip Roy, left, stands behind Speaker Mike Johnson, center, at a press conference on the Hill. Roy said Tuesday that he is unsure whether to support Johnson’s re-election to the speakership for the upcoming term.]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/07/11/01/EEUU-PADR%C3%93N_ELECTORAL_06301.jpg)
The congressman from Louisiana has maintained shaky control of his caucus since late October of last year, buoyed in part by a weariness resulting from that chaotic speakerless period. Whether that will continue into the new Congress, however, still remains uncertain.
![[Matt Gaetz led a successful effort to oust Kevin McCarthy before resigning his own seat a year later to head off release of a report which found that he paid a minor for sex in 2017, which he denies.]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/24/16/2024-12-23T180042Z_2014845117_RC2HQ3AR2K09_RTRMADP_3_USA-CONGRESS-ETHICS-GAETZ.jpg)
Chip Roy, a Republican representative from Texas known for clashing with both leadership and the MAGA wing of his party over spending issues, made clear on Tuesday that Johnson still has work to do in order to win another term. “Right now, I don’t believe he has the votes on Friday,” the congressman told Fox Business.
