Trump says Mike Johnson will “easily remain speaker” if he acts “decisively and tough” on the spending bill

Trump says Mike Johnson will “easily remain speaker” if he acts “decisively and tough” on the spending bill

EXCLUSIVE: President-elect Donald Trump told Fox News Digital that House Speaker Mike Johnson will “easily remain speaker” of the next Congress if he “takes decisive and tough action” and “all the traps set by Democrats” in the spending package eliminated.

Fox News Digital spoke exclusively with the president-elect on Thursday morning, just hours after the bipartisan agreement to avoid a partial government shutdown collapsed.

JOHNSON IS WITH POSSIBLE CONSERVATIVE CONSERVATIVE REBELS OVER THE GOVERNMENT’S FINANCING PLAN

“Anyone who supports a bill that doesn’t address the Democrats’ quicksand known as the debt ceiling should be prioritized and eliminated as quickly as possible,” Trump told Fox News Digital.

Vice President-elect JD Vance met with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday evening. The two talked for about an hour about the possible continuation of the solution. Vance said the two had a “productive conversation” and he believes they “can resolve some issues here” and will continue to “work on it.”

Mike Johnson, Donald Trump

US Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson shakes hands with US President-elect Trump on stage at a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The chaos surrounding efforts to pass legislation to prevent a government shutdown is putting the upcoming speaker election in focus as Johnson struggles to keep the party fully united.

But the president-elect told Fox News Digital that Johnson would “lightly” retain his role as spokesman.

“If the speaker acts decisively and toughly and removes all the traps set by the Democrats that will destroy our country economically and in other ways, he will easily remain speaker,” Trump told Fox News Digital.

Johnson after the final votes last week

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol after the final votes of the week on Thursday, September 12, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The speaker vote is scheduled for January 3, 2025.

The now-dead-on-arrival one 1,547-page bill It was a short-term extension of state funding levels for fiscal year 2024 to give lawmakers more time to agree on funding for the rest of fiscal year 2025 by Friday.

MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICANS’ SUPPORT TO BE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE AGAIN AFTER SUPPORTING TRUMP

In addition to funding the government through March 14, the bill provided more than $100 billion in disaster relief to help Americans affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene. It also included $10 billion in economic relief for farmers, as well as health care reform measures and a provision to revitalize RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., and its surrounding campuses.

The bill also included a pay raise for members of Congress.

Members of the House Freedom Caucus said they felt blindsided because seemingly unrelated policy themes were added to the bill in last-minute negotiations.

Several GOP lawmakers who were granted anonymity to speak freely said Johnson will face challenges to his candidacy for speaker on the issue in early January.

Sources said top Republicans like House Majority Leader Tom Emmer, R-Minn. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Florida, were mentioned in early discussions about alternatives.

Mike Johnson and possible rivals

From left to right: Speaker Mike Johnson’s critics cite names like Majority Leader Tom Emmer, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and Rep. Byron Donalds as possible successors. (Getty Images)

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But a person close to Donald responded to Fox News Digital: “At this time, the congressman has made no statements regarding the future of House leadership.”

And a spokesman for Emmer told Fox News Digital: “Whip Emmer supports Speaker Johnson and is focused on accomplishing the job he was elected to do.”

And a source close to Jordan told Fox News Digital that the Ohio Republican “is not interested in challenging Johnson.”

Liz Elkind of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.

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