Speaker Mike Johnson’s future hangs by a thread as GOP drama threatens to put Trump’s win in peril

House Republicans are in chaos ahead of a critical vote today on whether to keep Speaker Mike Johnson in power and their internal drama could delay Donald Trump’s election victory from getting certified on time.

Because Republicans will hold a razor-thin majority in the new 119th Congress – 219 to 215 – only a few dissatisfied GOP members could derail the speaker’s reelection chances.

As it stands, Johnson, 52, can only afford to lose one Republican vote and still get reelected.

At least one GOP rebel – Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. – is already planing to vote against him with around a dozen members on the fence. 

If another Republican joins Massie it will paralyze the House, which requires a speaker to do even the most basic functions.

Two years ago at the beginning of the last Congress, Republicans got off to an embarrassing start after taking five days and 15 rounds to elect former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Should the speaker elections Friday go on as long as they did for McCarthy, the engine of Congress may stall again, this time just before Donald Trump’s election certification planned for Monday, January 6. 

Should this happen, Congress may not be able to certify the 2024 election results on time, posing unexpected pain and delay the constitutionally-mandated process. 

But a handful of Republican members seem undisturbed by the potential pitfall, despite Johnson warning them they ‘cannot afford a palace drama.’

These bold GOP discontents have declared reservations about Johnson’s leadership, with at least one claiming he is an absolute ‘No’. 

Now, the speaker has to defend his tiny margin to maintain his grasp on the gavel of power, and get Trump in office. 

‘We’ll have maybe one no vote,’ Johnson confidently proclaimed during an interview with Fox Business Thursday evening.

‘I think we get it done on the first round,’ he continued. ‘Certainly hopeful for that.’

Trump offered him another public display of support on Friday morning, wishing him ‘good luck today.’

‘Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support,’ Trump said on Truth Social.

‘A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party, and yet another acknowledgment of our 129 year most consequential Presidential Election!! – A BIG AFFIRMATION, INDEED. MAGA!’

The one no vote is likely to come from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who told DailyMail.com that he is against Johnson’s re-election. 

Walking through the halls of the Capitol with DailyMail.com before the Christmas recess, the Kentucky Republican also revealed that at least three House GOP members have come to him ‘grumbling about Johnson.’ 

He doubled down on his opposition on Thursday, telling reporters about GOP leadership: ‘If they thought I had no Fs to give before, I definitely have no Fs to give now.’ 

Massie just needs another Republican to come out against Johnson to tank the speaker’s re-election bid. 

On Thursday, several Republicans met with Johnson privately to discuss their thoughts ahead of the speaker election. 

Republican Reps. Chip Roy, Victoria Spartz, Andy Harris, Andy Biggs, Ralph Norman, Eli Crane, and more lawmakers on the fence about voting met with the speaker.

Roy, R-Texas, said Johnson was a good friend, but remained undecided. He’s been critical of the speaker for his handling of the spending deal to avoid a government shutdown last month. 

Roy said he did not believe Johnson had the votes, but he also did not have a clear alternative, simply suggesting there are a ‘lot of great members.’ He said he would have to see if Johnson could deliver on the agenda. 

‘We’ve got to stick together,’ Johnson continued in the Fox interview Thursday. ‘We’ll be operating with the smallest margin in U.S. history for much of the first hundred days of the Congress and perhaps longer into the year.’

‘So it necessitates that every single Republican as diverse as our caucus is, can put aside their personal preferences every day and work together for the team. And I think everybody understands clearly the mandate that we have, the importance of the moment. And I think they’re going to come and get along.’

The discontent Republicans want reforms to Johnson’s spending procedures, especially after Johnson attempted to jam through a 1,547 page government spending bill through just as lawmakers were leaving for Christmas. 

The massive measure quickly drew the ire of Elon Musk and many other Republicans. 

Eventually the bill was tanked and after some revisions were requested by Trump and Musk another was passed. The whole process ruffled many Republican feathers.

Crucially Trump threw his full support behind Johnson, warning ‘attention-seeking’ Republicans against crossing Johnson. 

‘He’s the one that can win right now,’ Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago. ‘People like him, almost everybody likes him.’

‘But they have 30 or 40 people who don’t like ’em,’ he continued. Trump said he would call members if he had to but predicted that wouldn’t be needed. 

‘Oh I think they’ll support Speaker Johnson,’ Trump said. ‘I think we’re going to have a great time in Washington. I think we’re going to get great support.’ 

In a post on Truth Social days before Trump also touted the speaker: ‘Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to win.’ 

The 52-year-old Johnson has served as speaker since October 2023 when eight discontent Republicans voted to oust his predecessor McCarthy. The removal of the speaker set up snap elections to fill the vacancy. 

The scramble to elect a new speaker took three weeks, during which the House did nothing else except hold failed speaker votes. Johnson is clearly trying to avoid that this time.

On Wednesday the House Rules Committee also released a new package that would raise the threshold of votes needed to kick-off a vote to remove the speaker. 

In 2022 a single vote, cast by Gaetz, was all it took to begin removal proceedings for McCarthy. 

The rule proposed by Johnson’s allies in the Rules Committee this week would up that number from one to nine. 

Specifically it mandates that any motion to vacate the speaker must have at least eight co-sponsors. 

Still, that bill from the Rules Committee will not be voted on until after a speaker is elected.