Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson will retain his top position as leader of the Republican Party after Donald Trump urged Republicans on Wednesday to vote for him.
House Republicans huddled for hours at the Hyatt Regency near Capitol Hill to debate who would be the party’s next leader.
Republican lawmakers unanimously voted in favor of Johnson as the Republican Party’s speaker nominee, sources in the room told DailyMail.com.
He will still need to solidify his support for his members before a full vote in the House of Representatives on January 3, 2025. Some hardline Republicans remain unconvinced that he should lead them again this next Congress.
The other current Republican leaders in the House of Representatives, Steve Scalise and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, will also remain in their positions after Republicans voted to keep them in power.
Johnson’s victory comes after Trump joined lawmakers at the Hyatt on Wednesday morning before meeting President Joe Biden at the White House.
Trump told Republicans he supports “100 percent” in retaining Johnson’s presidency. ‘This is a great guy. I support him all the way,” Trump said.
President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., as he arrives to speak at a meeting with the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. During Trump’s remarks to Republicans in the House of Representatives, he said he supports Johnson retaining his place as Republican leader
Trump’s top priorities include enacting strict border security laws, streamlining the “bureaucratic machine” and restoring U.S. energy dominance.
Johnson’s retention of the role is a vote of confidence for the leader whose path to power has been a rocky one.
In October 2023, Republicans shockingly voted to impeach then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy after eight Republican members of the House of Representatives voted with Democrats to impeach him.
That prompted a weeks-long search for another leader and a power vacuum as several candidates threw their hats into the ring for the top job.
After Scalise, Firebrand House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and Emmer failed to secure enough votes to become leader, while several others grabbed the speaker’s gavel.
Ultimately, after several weeks without a leader and after the House became ineffective without a rudder to guide the body, Republicans ultimately chose Johnson.
President-elect Donald Trump, accompanied by House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., to meet with the House GOP conference
Since being elected chairman, Johnson has faced multiple rounds of funding challenges with Democrats and members of his own party.
Several public financing debacles occurred for the speaker throughout the year.
In the spring, these funding disagreements led to threats to remove Johnson from Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Tomas Massie, R-Ky.
The pair were angry about the continued expansion of government funding levels established under former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Speaker Johnson managed to deal with the internal threats without difficulty, and Greene and Massie’s warning was never turned into a formal vote to strip the leader of power.
The Republican speaker has also surprised critics who are skeptical of his fundraising prowess.
Johnson has been speaker since October 2023 after Kevin McCarthy was ousted
Johnson has often promoted his extensive travels around the country during the campaign season.
Ultimately, he managed to raise millions in crucial Republican races across the country and under his term, Republicans were able to secure a supermajority.
Johnson will officially become chairman of the 119th Congress in early January if he receives enough support in a vote in the full House.