The United States House of Representatives voted this Friday to elect its president, the “speaker”. Finally re-elected, Mike Johnson, candidate for re-election, faced strong opposition within his own camp. Supported by Donald Trump, Mike Johnson was not sure of winning. After his election, Donald Trump spoke on Truth Social. “Mike will be a great speaker, and our country will benefit from it. Americans have waited four years for common sense, strength, and leadership. They’re going to have it now, and America will be even greater than before! “, he wrote.
However, the small Republican majority in this new legislature made the situation particularly delicate. Mike Johnson himself recognized the fragility of his position. “We’re going to have a margin of probably two votes. We can only afford to lose one or two. »
Virulent internal opposition
Despite Donald Trump’s stated support, some Republican elected officials have been inflexible. Among them, Thomas Massie, known for his firm positions, declared bluntly: “You can pull out all my nails, you can stick bamboo in them, you can start cutting off my fingers: I will not vote Mike Johnson. » This shocking statement, made during an interview with the conservative channel OAN, illustrated the internal divisions of the Republican camp.
In addition to Donald Trump, Mike Johnson had also received the support of Elon Musk, now an influential voice in Washington thanks to his role in social networks and his proximity to the president-elect. “You have my full support,” the billionaire said on his social network X in response to a post from Mike Johnson thanking Donald Trump for his support.
A troubling precedent and major issues
However, even with these emblematic figures, Mike Johnson had difficulty reaching the required majority. A rejection of his candidacy would then have represented a major setback for Donald Trump, who would have seen his influence over Congress called into question.
This election recalls the spectacular ousting, a year ago, of Kevin McCarthy, previous speaker of the House of Representatives. The latter had been dismissed by the most Trumpist fringe of Republicans, who accused him of having given in too much to the Democrats, thus increasing the deficit. Similar accusations are being made against Mike Johnson today, highlighting the internal fractures in the Republican Party.
Towards a prolonged election?
The impeachment of Kevin McCarthy led to a 22-day legislative paralysis and highlighted party infighting. Donald Trump, less than three weeks before his announced return to the White House, hopes to avoid such a scenario. Without an elected president in the House of Representatives, the latter would be unable to act, in particular to certify Trump’s presidential victory during the session scheduled for Monday.
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If Mike Johnson had failed to secure a majority of the votes cast on Friday, the electoral process could have dragged on, with repeated ballots in the following hours and days. Furthermore, this scenario would also have involved intense behind-the-scenes negotiations to try to achieve a majority around a compromise candidate.
