In a dramatic turn of events, President-elect Donald Trump played a pivotal role in securing the speaker’s post for Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson. With just two Republican lawmakers, Representatives Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas, standing in the way, Trump stepped in from the golf course Friday afternoon to personally convince them to support Johnson, CNN reported.
The intervention proved crucial as Johnson ultimately secured the 218 votes needed to retain the speaker’s position and lead a narrowly divided chamber into the new year. While the official record shows that Johnson achieved the required votes on the first attempt, the outcome was uncertain until the last moment, highlighting the political drama and the influence Trump continues to wield over the Republican Party.
Two sources familiar with the conversation revealed that Trump urged the lawmakers to prioritize party unity, warning that voters would have little patience for the dysfunction that could arise if Republicans failed to rally behind a single speaker, CNN reported.
This episode highlighted the significant challenges President-elect Donald Trump would face in governing over the next two years, despite Republicans controlling both the White House and Congress.
With narrow majorities in the House and Senate, Trump will require near-unanimous support from his party or bipartisan cooperation to fulfill the sweeping changes he promised voters. Failing to secure this could impede his ability to deliver on his agenda.
The situation will become even more precarious if the Senate confirms Reps. Mike Waltz of Florida and Elise Stefanik of New York to serve in the administration as national security adviser and United Nations ambassador, respectively, which would further reduce the Republican margin in the House.
These difficulties are compounded by the struggles House Republicans have faced since regaining the majority in 2022, underscoring the challenges Trump will need to overcome to maintain party unity and achieve his policy goals.
“Governing is messy sometimes,” Republican Representative Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma told CNN. “And I think we’ve proven that not only today, but over the last two years. But we’ll get there.”
Trump has already encountered the constraints of his influence within his own party. Prior to the holiday break, he attempted but failed to convince House Republicans to increase the country’s borrowing limit during a funding vote that nearly led to a government shutdown.
Trump’s influence within his party has faced several setbacks. His allies were unable to sway the vote for the next Senate majority leader, a position that went to South Dakota Sen John Thune, a former critic of the incoming president.
Additionally, Trump couldn’t convince Florida Gov Ron DeSantis to appoint his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to the Senate seat currently held by Marco Rubio, whom Trump has selected as secretary of state. Trump also abandoned efforts to appoint former Rep Matt Gaetz as attorney general due to strong opposition from Senate Republicans.
However, securing Mike Johnson’s victory marked an important early test of Trump’s ability to navigate a closely divided chamber, where individual lawmakers hold significant power.
