Mike Johnson Proudly Claims Donald Trump Supports Him Amid MTG's Attempts to Remove Him as Speaker

On Friday, former President Donald Trump backed Speaker Mike Johnson as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a key ally of Trump in Congress, considered pushing for a vote to remove the House leader. Moreover, during an interview with Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures, Johnson, fresh from a visit to Mar-a-Lago, proudly declared that Trump stands firmly behind him in his confrontation with the Georgia congresswoman, according to Mediaite. 

“I spent hours with the president on Friday,” Johnson said, “He and I talk frequently, many times, usually, in a week. We have a long relationship. He’s 100 percent with me! And he said, ‘We’ll get this job done. That’s a distraction.’" Johnson added, “What Marjorie is done with a motion to vacate is not helpful for our party, for our mission to save the country. Because if we don’t grow the House majority, keep the House majority, win the Senate, and win back the White House for President Trump, we are going to lose the Republic.” In a show of support, Trump publicly endorsed Johnson during a press briefing on Friday.

According to The Hill, Trump said, "We’re getting along very well with the Speaker and I get along very well with Marjorie. We have a Speaker who was voted in and it was a complicated process… it’s not an easy situation for any Speaker." The real estate tycoon added, “I think he’s doing a very good job. He’s doing about as good as you’re going to do. And I’m sure that Marjorie understands that. She’s a very good friend of mine and I know she has a lot of respect for the Speaker.” Earlier in their joint appearance, Trump praised Johnson for handling challenging circumstances exceptionally well: “I stand with the Speaker, we’ve had a very good relationship."

Trump's supportive comments about Johnson are likely to irk Greene, who has been vocally critical of the Speaker and has threatened to bring a motion to remove him from his position. Despite this, Greene seemed unfazed by the public display of unity between Trump and her opponent. She said, “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.” However, Trump's backing of Johnson might weaken her attempt to remove him.

Meanwhile, reports surfaced last week indicating that Trump and his supporters were livid with Greene over her ultimatums directed at the Speaker. “One hundred percent distraction. Unwanted. And just stupid,” an unnamed source said. Furthermore, Johnson pointed out in his Fox News interview that Greene seems to overlook their efforts concerning border issues, emphasizing that a government shutdown would be detrimental to the Republican Party's objectives. “When the government shuts down, imagine TSA agents not being paid and flights being canceled for Americans,” Johnson said.