Another Trump ally goes public

Republicans late on October 24 (local time) selected Congressman Mike Johnson as their latest candidate for the position of Speaker of the US House of Representatives. The decision came hours after the previous pick, Congressman Tom Emmer, abruptly withdrew in the face of opposition from former President Donald Trump and hard-line Republican lawmakers.

Johnson, a Louisiana representative, is a junior member of the House Republican leadership. The 51-year-old lawmaker becomes the fourth Republican candidate for the seat after Emmer, Trump-endorsed Jim Jordan, and Steve Scalise fell out in a near-nonsense political cycle since Kevin McCarthy was ousted three weeks ago.

The division within the Republican Party in the US House of Representatives is evident through the fact that far-right members will not accept a more traditional speaker and moderate congressmen do not want a hard-liner leader.

In the final ballot on October 24, Mr. Johnson won 128 votes out of 221 – more than any previous candidate, but still not enough. In the bipartisan vote scheduled for October 25, any candidate will need to win at least 217 votes to get the gavel, which symbolizes the power of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

World - Election of US House Speaker: Another Trump ally — Rep. Mike Johnson is surrounded by colleagues as he speaks to reporters after winning the nomination for Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from the Republican Party conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 24, 2023. Photo: NY Post

“Mike! Mike! Mike!” lawmakers chanted at a news conference afterward, surrounding Mr. Johnson and taking selfies with the newest candidate to show support.

Mr. Johnson, one of Mr. Trump's staunchest allies in his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, said he was "very confident" he would be elected Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“You will see this group here operating like a well-oiled machine,” the congressman told reporters, surrounded by several Republican colleagues.

Over the past three weeks, Republicans have squandered their majority against Democrats in the House of Representatives – a frustrating embarrassment to some, democracy in action to others, but not at all how the US House of Representatives should operate.

The federal government is at risk of shutting down for weeks if the House remains without a leader, leaving the bicameral Congress unable to pass a funding bill before the November 17 deadline to keep services and offices running.

More urgently, Democratic President Joe Biden has asked Congress for $105 billion in aid – to help Israel and Ukraine amid conflict and to bolster the U.S.-Mexico border. Federal aviation and agriculture programs will also expire if no legislative action is taken.

Anxious and exhausted, Republican lawmakers are trying to move on. “Maybe on the fourth try, or the fifth try, or the sixth try, or the 10th try, we will get it,” said Republican Rep. Steve Womack .

Minh Duc (According to AP, Bloomberg)

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