Johnson Clinches Win with Trump’s Backing, Yet Contentious Speaker Vote Spells Trouble

With two Republican lawmakers blocking Mike Johnson’s path to becoming Speaker, President-elect Donald Trump personally stepped in, making phone calls to help secure the needed support.

By Sheenu Gupta On Jan 4, 2025 Share with new partner:

With just two Republican lawmakers standing between Representative Mike Johnson and his bid to secure the Speaker’s gavel, President-elect Donald Trump stepped in to influence the outcome.

On Friday afternoon, while on the golf course, Trump personally reached out to Representatives Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas, both of whom had expressed hesitation about supporting Johnson’s leadership. In a series of persuasive phone calls, Trump successfully convinced the two holdouts to back Johnson, ultimately ensuring his narrow victory.

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, clinched the speakership without a single vote to spare, narrowly securing the 218 votes required to win. Though the official record will show that he achieved victory on the first ballot, the process was far from smooth and straightforward. Tensions ran high, with Johnson’s success hinging on Trump’s last-minute intervention to unite the party and prevent a deadlock.

The dramatic start to the 119th Congress not only highlighted the extent of Trump’s influence over the Republican Party but also foreshadowed the difficulties he may face in maintaining party unity in the coming months. As Johnson steps into his leadership role, the narrow Republican majority and internal divisions could present significant challenges, especially as the GOP prepares for the critical 2026 midterm elections. These contests have the potential to disrupt the party’s control in Washington, making Trump’s ability to manage party tensions all the more crucial moving forward.

According to two sources familiar with the conversation, President-elect Donald Trump made a direct and strategic appeal to hesitant Republican lawmakers, emphasizing the importance of party unity. During his outreach, Trump stressed that Republicans needed to function as a cohesive team, warning that the American public would have little patience for internal divisions and political gridlock if they failed to unite behind a single speaker.

Representative Keith Self of Texas, one of the lawmakers Trump personally called, later elaborated on the discussion that led him to shift his vote in favor of Mike Johnson. Self explained that Trump’s message was straightforward: the former president wanted to see his legislative priorities advanced, which required a unified Republican front in the House of Representatives.

Reflecting on their exchange, Self described aligning with Trump’s perspective, saying, “That was my message to him as well, Mr. President—we need a strong negotiating team in place to move forward effectively.” Trump’s firm stance and clear expectations ultimately played a pivotal role in persuading Self to back Johnson, helping secure the votes needed for his narrow victory as Speaker.

Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona, a prominent conservative hardliner and one of several Republicans who initially resisted supporting Mike Johnson’s bid for Speaker, shared his perspective following the tense vote. Speaking to CNN after Johnson’s narrow victory, Biggs admitted that he still harbored significant concerns about the direction of House leadership. However, he acknowledged that former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Johnson had been a decisive factor in swaying the Republican conference toward unity.

“I still have reservations,” Biggs explained, “but President Trump expressed his desire to work alongside Johnson, and ultimately, that influenced our decision-making process.” His remarks underscored the significant weight Trump’s opinion carries within the party, even among members with lingering doubts about leadership.

When pressed on whether Johnson could have succeeded without Trump’s backing, Biggs was unequivocal. “No,” he replied firmly. “I believe Trump’s support was critical.”

Biggs’ comments further highlighted Trump’s continued dominance in shaping the Republican Party’s decisions, as his intervention played a pivotal role in unifying a fractured conference during a critical leadership vote.

Representative Mike Johnson himself acknowledged the significant role former President Donald Trump’s endorsement played in securing his victory as Speaker, describing it as a “big factor” in the outcome. He emphasized the profound impact of Trump’s backing, stating that the former president’s voice and influence were uniquely powerful within the Republican Party.

Trump had originally intended to publicly endorse Johnson on New Year’s Day. However, Johnson, recognizing the urgency of consolidating support, encouraged Trump to make his endorsement earlier. Speaking to a local Baton Rouge radio station, Johnson revealed that he had directly suggested the earlier announcement, which Trump ultimately acted on.

By Friday morning, Trump and his team had become deeply involved in ensuring Johnson could secure the votes necessary to win. Beyond Trump personally calling key holdouts, his close ally in Congress, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, was actively seen coordinating with Trump’s incoming White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, while the vote was still underway.

Throughout the week, Trump had made it clear that prolonging the Speaker battle could damage the Republican Party’s credibility as it took control of Washington. He warned that such disarray risked not only weakening public confidence but also potentially resulting in an inexperienced leader taking the helm—a scenario that could jeopardize his legislative agenda in the House. Determined to prevent this outcome, Trump took a more direct approach than in past Republican leadership struggles, personally intervening to persuade Johnson’s skeptics and unify the party behind him.

The recent battle for House Speaker served as a stark reminder of the significant challenges former President Donald Trump faces in governing, even with Republican control of both the White House and Congress. Despite the GOP’s majority, the margins in both chambers remain razor-thin, forcing Trump to rely on near-unanimous party support or bipartisan cooperation to deliver the sweeping policy changes he has promised voters. This delicate balance is likely to grow even more complicated if the Senate confirms Representatives Mike Waltz of Florida and Elise Stefanik of New York for administration roles, which would further reduce the GOP’s numbers in the House.

House Republicans’ internal struggles since reclaiming the majority in 2022 foreshadow the difficulties ahead. Representative Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma acknowledged the party’s challenges, telling CNN, “Governing is messy sometimes. We’ve proven that not only today but over the last two years. But we’ll get there.”

Trump has already faced limitations in his influence within his party. Before the holiday recess, he was unable to pressure House Republicans into raising the debt ceiling, bringing the government dangerously close to a shutdown. His allies also failed to sway the vote for the next Senate Majority Leader, which was won by South Dakota Senator John Thune, a critic of Trump. Additionally, Trump couldn’t convince Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to appoint his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to Marco Rubio’s Senate seat, as Rubio is set to become Secretary of State. Trump also abandoned his effort to name former Representative Matt Gaetz as Attorney General after strong Senate opposition.

However, Trump’s successful intervention in getting Mike Johnson elected Speaker marked a critical early test of his ability to navigate a sharply divided House where individual lawmakers hold significant power. Former Representative Patrick McHenry, who oversaw the previous speakership battle, admitted the narrow majority would make governing difficult. “It’s going to be a dicey run for this House Republican majority,” McHenry said. “But Johnson’s speakership was enabled by having Donald Trump in office. Without Trump, this vote might have had a different outcome.”

Trump expressed strong confidence in Johnson leading up to the vote, telling CNN that he had no backup candidate in mind if the Louisiana Republican faltered. Johnson’s allies also understood there was no realistic alternative within the party — the only question was how many rounds of voting it would take and how much Trump would have to pressure dissenting lawmakers.

Even as the vote began, uncertainty lingered within GOP leadership. Of the three Republicans who voted against Johnson on the floor, only Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky had previously informed leadership of his opposition. Representative Keith Self’s initial opposition came as a complete surprise to party leaders.

Despite some tensions, Trump and Johnson worked closely together to secure support, even after clashing over a spending bill the previous month. Trump and his team recognized the need to help unify the party ahead of the inauguration to avoid further chaos. House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole of Oklahoma credited Trump’s role, noting, “He had a lot of influence. Last time, we had over 20 Republicans vote against the Speaker on the first ballot. This time, there were only three — and they eventually came around.”

Johnson’s Leadership Approach

Beyond Trump’s influence, Johnson’s approach to securing the speakership was notable for avoiding the typical concessions often made during leadership fights. Unlike his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, who had made extensive compromises to win over hardliners, Johnson stood firm against making promises of plum committee assignments or policy concessions.

Instead, Johnson emphasized his commitment to empowering individual lawmakers within the 119th Congress but did so without making binding deals. “I was already committed to that, so I simply reaffirmed it,” Johnson explained when asked about his strategy for winning over Republican holdouts.

This approach provides Johnson with greater political flexibility moving forward, as he avoided the kind of trade-offs that had weakened McCarthy’s leadership. Johnson’s allies praised his firmness, with Representative Frank Lucas of Oklahoma noting, “When you surrender to your hostage takers, you lose control of your political soul.”

However, this strategy did not stop members of the House Freedom Caucus from pushing for policy demands. Some lawmakers, including Representative Chip Roy of Texas, sought leadership positions or policy promises, such as spending cuts and reforms to the appropriations process. Though Johnson did not concede on key demands, he attempted to balance party interests by proposing a working group to examine spending reforms and pledging a review of government agencies accused of “weaponizing” their authority against the public.

After Johnson secured the gavel, a group of 11 Republican lawmakers released a statement making clear that their support was tied to loyalty to Trump rather than confidence in Johnson’s leadership. “We voted for Johnson because of our steadfast support for President Trump and to ensure the timely certification of his electors,” they wrote, while also citing reservations about Johnson’s leadership track record over the past 15 months.

Moving forward, some conservatives have made it clear they will not rubber-stamp Trump’s entire agenda without serious input. Representative Byron Donalds of Florida, who briefly received votes for Speaker before support shifted to Johnson, reflected this sentiment. “This is just the beginning,” he said. “We still have work to do.”