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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is scheduled to appear with former President Trump on Friday as they find themselves on opposite sides of two contentious debates on Capitol Hill.
The rally at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort was billed as a press conference to promote legislation that would prevent non-citizens from voting, which is already illegal.
But politically, Johnson’s joint appearance would give him a chance to showcase his close relationship with Trump and give Trump a chance to demonstrate his tight control over the House Republican conference even as the former president attempts to reauthorize the House speaker. weaken the Speaker’s influence on issues.
The looming threat from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., one of Trump’s closest congressional allies, to force a vote to remove Johnson as speaker, a move that could upset the House The Republican conference is deadlocked. The situation is chaotic as Trump strives to be re-elected.
Those dynamics will come together Friday in Palm Beach, Florida, where Johnson hopes to show solidarity with the presumptive Republican nominee as he faces a difficult legislative road to expanding U.S. spy powers and approving more aid to Ukraine – due to With Trump’s involvement, the road becomes even more bumpy.
An ally of Trump told “The Hill”: “It is obvious that Johnson showed up at Mar-a-Lago to use Trump as a shield to help himself solve the difficulties in the House of Representatives.”
However, some Republicans viewed the meeting as a typical encounter between two Republican leaders, House Speaker Johnson and the leading Republican figure in Trump.
“We’ve got a gavel, he’s got a gavel, and you’re going to have more gavels like this,” said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), who is endorsing Nicky Trump in the 2024 presidential race. Haley later supported Trump. “He’s our nominee, Trump, and we have to get him in office to save this country, and Mike plays a big role in that.”
But the meeting came at a tense time for the two Republicans.
Earlier this week, Trump urged lawmakers to “abolish FISA” hours before the vote, fueling Republican opposition to Johnson’s bill to reauthorize U.S. warrantless surveillance powers (Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)). contained) resistance.
Nineteen Republicans responded to the request and held a procedural vote on the floor, dealing an embarrassing blow to Johnson and forcing Republican leadership to reconsider as Congress faces an April 19 deadline to extend spy powers. the term.
Conservatives and some Democrats have expressed concern that the underlying legislation does not include provisions requiring a search warrant requirement, although the approval process vote would allow for a vote on the warrant amendment.
Johnson told Republican lawmakers in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday that he had spoken to Trump the day before, but made clear the two did not discuss the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, according to lawmakers.
Trump has also been equally relentless in trying to influence the debate over Ukraine aid, voicing his longstanding opposition to additional aid to Kyiv, while Johnson has vowed to push forward on the politically thorny issue.
Trump’s resistance was made public as recently as March, when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state television that Trump “will not pay a penny” for Ukraine’s war with Russia after meeting with the former president. A growing number of House Republican conference members – especially those who subscribe to Trump’s “America First” mantra – have voiced opposition to more aid to Ukraine, creating a political minefield for Johnson’s quest to help Kyiv’s beleaguered military. district.
However, the two men agreed on the idea of additional aid to Ukraine in the form of loans, an idea first floated by Trump and later raised by Johnson as a potential detail of a foreign aid package.
“Even President Trump has talked about the loan concept that we’re building, where we’re not just providing foreign aid, we’re building our relationships so that they can return the loan to us when the time is right,” Johnson said on Fox. News at the end of last month.
Beyond his relationship with Trump, Johnson’s moves on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and Ukraine aid could have far-reaching consequences for his job security.
Greene, Ukraine’s leading opponent of the foreign intelligence surveillance bill, told reporters after meeting with Johnson on Wednesday that she was closely watching how the speaker advances spying legislation and aid to Kyiv as she mounts a recall effort against Johnson.
The Georgia Republican filed a withdrawal motion against Johnson late last month — the same mechanism used to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), but she has not said when she plans to force a vote on the resolution.
“Now that he doesn’t have my support, I’m looking at the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and what’s going on in Ukraine,” Green said.
Norman, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, said Johnson’s public appearance with Trump on Friday could provide support to the speaker amid threats from Greene’s ouster.
“If Trump came out and gave him his full support, yes, that would help,” he said Thursday.
Green ignored the impending incident.
“President Trump meets with people all the time. I’m not involved in his meetings, and it’s natural for our top presidential candidate to meet with our Republican speaker,” Green said Thursday.
Friday’s gathering will be Johnson’s third trip to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump since the Louisiana congressman took office as speaker in late October. In November, Johnson attended a fundraiser for another congressman at Trump’s Florida estate, and the speaker met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago over the President’s Day weekend.
It would also be the latest example of Trump bending House Republicans to his preferred agenda.
Last October, the former president was an active participant in the Republican search for a replacement for Speaker McCarthy, initially endorsing Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and then coming out against House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) ) campaign.
Earlier this year, Trump also helped veto a bill sponsored by Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kristen Sinema (Arizona) drafted a border security bill that he said would hurt Republicans politically.
Even as Trump frequently caused trouble for House leaders trying to keep a fractious chamber consistent, the former president publicly backed Johnson as speaker.
Trump told reporters in February that he had “very much confidence” in Johnson and called him a “very good guy” after a difficult week that saw multiple failed votes in the House.
In 2020, Johnson played a central role in efforts by some lawmakers to push legal theories to deny President Joe Biden his election victory. The effort was ultimately rejected by the Supreme Court. But Trump continues to promote false claims that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen, and Johnson’s appearance on Friday reflected that embracing that view is a litmus test for Trump.
John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, said on CNN that Johnson needs to be willing to prioritize his principles on issues like Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act reform and Ukraine over appeasing Trump and Greene et al.
“I don’t know what he’s thinking, but I think the true speaker of the House is an independent political force,” Bolton said. “I think House Republicans, generally for their own electoral security, if for no other reason, need to show that they have integrity that is separate and distinct from Donald Trump.”
“Everyone has been tested,” he added. “Speaker Johnson is going through this right now.”
Mike Lillis contributed.
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