Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is cementing his place in President-elect Trump’s inner orbit, becoming not only a visible — if slightly out-of-place-looking — part of his entourage, but a key supporter of his no-holds-barred approach to his second term.
The dynamic is setting up the Speaker to be critical to Trump’s success in his first months in office, both in ushering through his agenda and putting implicit pressure on congressional Republicans to rubber-stamp Trump’s controversial nominees and legislative plans.
The Speaker’s importance in MAGA World was on full display at a UFC fight at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, when he was part of a parade of allies that accompanied Trump. The crew included Elon Musk; Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence; Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., his Health and Human Services secretary choice; and Donald Trump Jr.
The contrast between the mild-mannered, conservative Christian, self-described “nerdy constitutional law guy” and the rest of the tough-guy Trump crew was stark.
In response to a selfie Johnson snapped at Saturday’s UFC fight with musical artists Kid Rock and Jelly Roll — the latter of whom has face tattoos — internet jokers compared Johnson “sheltered evangelical kid who went to a secular concert with his public school friends,” and to “the chess club president who got invited to hang with the football team.”
But Trump and Johnson have the shared interest of quickly pushing through legislation to extend the tax cuts passed in Trump’s first term, among other priorities, which Johnson has been planning with Trump and Senate Republicans for months.
“The President and Speaker are two very different personalities, but they have the exact same goal and passion to advance an America First policy agenda that will get our country back on track,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), the chair of the House Budget Committee who is close with Johnson. “Mike is a committed Christian and policy wonk, but that doesn’t mean he just sits in his room all day praying and studying policy memos — he is one of the funniest guys I know and loves being with people of all walks of life.”
Arrington noted that Johnson’s sons were involved in martial arts.
“For the Speaker, however, the pen is mightier than the sword … or rear naked choke!” Arrington said.
Johnson’s skills are not limited to the pen. He has also proven to be a key messenger for Trump’s agenda on television and other media, which Trump highly values — and in doing so, planted a flag on the side of Trump in controversial legislative matters.
The morning after the UFC fight, Johnson was on the Sunday news shows, defending Trump’s positions and giving a lifeline to his controversial Cabinet picks, including former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice.
Johnson dug in on his opposition to the House Ethics Committee releasing a report on Gaetz since he is no longer a member of Congress. The panel had been investigating the Florida Republican for years over allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. Gaetz, whom the Justice Department declined to charge after investigating the same matters, has vigorously denied wrongdoing.
“I think that would be a Pandora’s box. I don’t think we want the House Ethics Committee using all of its vast resources and powers to go after private citizens,” Johnson said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
That was a shift from his initial statement when he was asked about the possibility of the report being released after Gaetz was announced as Trump’s pick for attorney general, saying that “the Speaker of the House is not involved in that, can’t be involved in that.”
Johnson on CNN said that he initially meant that the Speaker can’t put a thumb on the scale of the initial investigation. And he denied that he had spoken to Trump about the possibility of the ethics report being released, despite seeing Trump at a gala at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club between saying that he would not get involved in the investigation and calling for the report to stay sealed.
On another show, Johnson left open the possibility of enabling Trump to appoint his Cabinet picks by recess appointments, bypassing the need for approval in the Senate.
Because the Constitution dictates that neither chamber of Congress can adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other, the House — and therefore, its Speaker — has a say in whether it would be possible for Trump to recess appoint his Cabinet picks.
“We’ll evaluate that at the appropriate time, and we’ll make the appropriate decision. There may be a function for that; we’ll have to see how it plays out,” Johnson said on “Fox News Sunday” when asked about whether he would support recess appointments.
Despite trifecta Republican control, advancing high-stakes legislation will be no easy task due to slim GOP majorities in both chambers.
But Johnson showing that he is close to Trump could help him navigate those legislative hurdles and manage GOP detractors that have caused chaos over the last two years, the most rebellious of whom are also staunch Trump supporters.
“We just need to have a UFC fight every weekend, and whoever walks out with Trump, we’ll know who’s on top in his orbit,” one Trump ally who requested anonymity due to job negotiations told The Hill, also mentioning how it would send a signal Trump’s support to rebellious House Republicans.
Johnson has positioned himself closer to Trump than perhaps any Republican Speaker.
The two speak often. In addition to being part of the UFC entourage, since the election, Johnson has bounced between Washington and Mar-a-Lago.
Johnson had a speaking slot at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally before the election — where Trump also praised Johnson: “Such a nice-looking guy. Just that little beautiful face with the glasses, got the little glasses.”
“Everyone said, ‘Oh, he’s so nice. He’s such a nice person.’ He’s not a nice person. He’s not nice at all,” Trump said, referencing a contentious interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in which Trump said Johnson “decapitate[d]” the host.
There have been disagreements on strategy between the two over the last year. Trump publicly advocated for a government shutdown while Johnson warned such a move would have negative electoral consequences.
But that hasn’t kept the two from forging a strong alliance — complete with the president-elect going out of his way to talk to House Republicans in a closed-door session on Capitol Hill last week and show his support for Johnson.
House Republicans renominated Jonson to be Speaker later that evening in a unanimous vote.
Brett Samuels contributed.
