Speaker Mike Johnson expressed confidence on Thursday when asked about his chances ahead of the House’s Speaker vote on Friday.
“We’re going to get this done. I’m humbled and honored to have President Trump’s endorsement for the role again,” Johnson said in an interview on the Fox News program “Fox & Friends.”
Co-host Griff Jenkins asked: “Mr. Speaker, let me shift gears just a bit. You have tomorrow’s vote for you as speaker. What can you tell us? How much confidence do you have that you will have the necessary votes to retain the gavel?”
“We’re going to get this done. Look, I’m humbled and honored to have President Trump’s endorsement for the role again, as well as the endorsement of leaders across the conservative spectrum and the Republican Party, all of my colleagues that are standing with us,” Johnson said.
Johnson noted that the nation is facing several threats and serious issues, citing the New Orleans New Year’s Day attack.
“And we will get this done. Look, the things that we’re talking about this morning are an illustration that we live in very serious times. We cannot afford any palace drama here. We have got to get the Congress started, which begins tomorrow, and we have to get immediately to work. We have to certify the election of President Donald J. Trump on January 6th, on Monday,” he added.
Johnson continued, “And we have many important things pressing on us right now. So there’s no time to waste. We have to stay unified. The American people gave us a mandate, you know. President Trump got 77 million votes. We got almost 75 million for House Republicans, the largest number ever. And they have sent us a message that they want us to begin fixing all of this, and we will. And we’re excited to do that.”
Although Johnson doesn’t have as many detractors as former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, he doesn’t have much leeway.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has stated that he would not vote for Johnson, bringing his number to 218. The GOP will begin with a 219-215 lead.
Johnson would require 218 votes to win the Speakership if every member was present.
A few other votes are in doubt, and Texas Republican Representative Chip Roy has not yet stated if he will support Johnson.
Johnson received a boost from Trump when he was endorsed to remain the House leader. However, it remains uncertain whether this endorsement will significantly elevate him.
Johnson might benefit if some members decide to vote in person. For instance, Johnson would win on the first ballot if Roy voted present and all other Republicans save Massie supported him. With 233 members present and voting after Roy’s current vote, a majority of 217 votes would go to Johnson.
It is anticipated that Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Calif.) would receive the votes of all 215 Democrats. The result may also be impacted if any of them skip the vote.
“It’s a numbers game. We have the smallest margin in U.S. history,” Johnson said Thursday. “We’ll have a margin of probably two votes tomorrow during that so, [I] can only afford to lose one or two.”
“But I think we’ll get it done,” he continued. “I really do.”
