President Donald Trump is reportedly reassessing his support for House Speaker Mike Johnson following last week’s chaotic government funding negotiations. Sources close to Trump indicate the former president is dissatisfied with Johnson’s handling of the situation and doubts his ability to lead the slim Republican House majority into 2024.
According to Politico’s Rachael Bade, Trump’s frustration stems from Johnson’s failure to secure a debt ceiling hike within the recently passed funding agreement. This omission could create significant obstacles for Trump’s legislative agenda next year, as Senate Democrats may use the unresolved debt ceiling issue as leverage to block or delay key Republican initiatives.
Insiders claim Trump feels betrayed by the backroom deal Johnson initially struck with Democrats, which ultimately collapsed. One confidant told Bade, “The president is upset — he wanted the debt ceiling dealt with.”
Johnson reportedly assured Trump that he had the votes necessary to pass a revised funding plan that included the debt ceiling hike. Encouraged by this promise, Trump publicly endorsed the measure and pressured House Republicans to support it.
However, when the proposal failed to garner enough Republican votes—38 GOP lawmakers opposed it—Trump’s team was left dismayed. “You can’t bring the president a deal that you say you have the votes for if you don’t have the votes,” an insider stated.
Adding to the tension, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance reportedly suggested that a holiday-season government shutdown might have been an acceptable strategy to force Democrats into agreeing to a debt ceiling increase. Johnson, however, opted not to pursue this course, further straining his relationship with Trump.
The House eventually passed a stopgap spending bill Friday night to avert a government shutdown. The final vote, 366-34, saw overwhelming Democratic support (196 votes) while 34 Republicans dissented. The Senate followed suit, and President Joe Biden signed the bill into law Saturday morning.
Johnson’s approach to the funding bill drew significant criticism, particularly from Trump allies. Reports revealed that Johnson negotiated the 1,547-page continuing resolution in secret, a move that alarmed many conservatives. The bill contained provisions for pork projects benefiting Democrats, pay raises for members of Congress, and enhanced health insurance benefits for lawmakers.
Most controversially, a section of the bill appeared to shield House offices from legal scrutiny. The provision mandated courts to “quash or modify any legal process directed to the provider for a House office if compliance…would require the disclosure of House data of the House office.” Critics argued this effectively granted the House exclusive control over its records, raising transparency concerns.
Trump insiders quoted in Bade’s report were blunt in their criticisms of Johnson. “In the past couple weeks, we’ve questioned whether [Johnson has] been an honest broker,” one said. Another added, “I don’t see how Johnson survives.”
Despite these harsh assessments, Trump is unlikely to call for Johnson’s removal directly. However, the former president is expected to remain passive if Johnson struggles to secure the 218 votes necessary to maintain his leadership.
Johnson’s leadership has been under scrutiny since he took the gavel, but the recent funding debacle has amplified doubts about his ability to navigate the challenges of a divided Congress. While Johnson’s defenders argue that he inherited a deeply fractured GOP caucus, his critics claim that his secretive negotiations and missteps with the debt ceiling have undermined his credibility.
The funding crisis has exposed deep divisions within the Republican Party and highlighted the difficulty of leading a narrow House majority. Johnson’s attempt to balance the demands of conservatives, moderates, and the former president has proven to be a daunting task.
Trump’s dissatisfaction with Johnson could signal broader challenges for Republican unity heading into the 2024 election season. As the party prepares to rally behind Trump’s bid to reclaim the White House, the question remains whether Johnson can regain the confidence of GOP lawmakers—and Trump himself—or if his days as Speaker are numbered.
This debacle underscores the stakes for Republicans in 2024: With slim margins in Congress and a contentious presidential race ahead, any misstep could jeopardize their ability to govern effectively and advance their agenda.
7 Comments
Wishy-washy doesn’t cut the mustard and MJ is “all wish and all washed up!” He should have “laid it on the line” with all players from the get-goes that “change for the better was mandatory;” no more “back room deals” with the ever so slimy Demoncraps and Rino’s! But he showed that he’s built the same way they are and that “selling out for self-preservation, easy money (ill-gotten gains)” always wins out with the crooks and the has been!
Putting it another way the classic film “High Noon” demonstrates; how people talk about wanting “Law and Order” to “preserve integrity and doing the right thing” but not too many have the “backbone” or are truly willing to “put it on the line” to preserve honor, dignity and justice!
Inevitably too many “chicken out or give up before they get going” because “they don’t have the guts or intestinal fortitude” to really be “all in and be willing to sacrifice themselves for the collective good!
For crying out loud this could not have come at a worse time for the Republicans! This bill has been on the table since Oct. 2024 and they decide to deal with it a week before Christmas?? The Republicans should take a note from the Democrats book and stick together; be bold and relentless no matter what. I still say the Government should of been shut down for awhile (grow a spine) walk away from the deal! Until a better deal was made and President 47 got what he needed to MAGA after Jan 20. I know many are upset with MJ but I don’t think its a good time to replace him by Jan 3rd..which will cause unnecessay Havoc before the Presidential inauguration– What is done is done. Hopefully it won’t cause too many road blocks for what we need to do to repair the mess we need to clean up moving into the Trump Administration.
Stace; good point here and we have a giant almost unsolvable mess to fix that SOROS is laughing about that F-N satanic devil! He with many enemies of America both “within and without” are screaming for America’s collapse! This is a critical time and extremely volatile situation to say the least! We can all think back to what happened in Venezuela when suddenly a loaf of bread was 100 bucks; in other words when they told the people kill each other or starve to death your pick!
JIC- the easiest way to find out if your Rep/Senator is a Rino, flappin their gums—Look up their Liberty Score. It tells you, by how they vote who they really are. MTG Massie, Rand Paul, Bishop Self= 100%A, Crane Luna Gosar Perry =97%A Cruz 90A, Cotton 81%B Hawley 86%B Rick Scott 86%B Any scores 79%-70% wishy washy- cannot count on- Crenshaw 74%C Rubio 71%C Tim Scott 77%C Mike Johnson 74%C Barrass 76% Ron Johnson 78% Keep a close eye on. Then 69% and below are defin Rinos and should be Primaried/replaced. Not America First. Emmer 69%D Mace 69%D (DeSantis was a@68%D when he was in) Mast 69%D, Cassidy Earnst Young Tillis Cornyn = 53%F THUNE 51%F, (Cheney was 57%) Graham 43%FF Tough talker Elise Stefanik 48%FF McConnell 44%FF. Then we have those who are 39% and below) democrats disguised as Repub. Collins 23%FFFF Murkowski 23%FFFF (Buck was 33%FFFF Kinzinger was 34%FFFF)
Irishgirl; great point and rundown!
Is There ANY Criminal In The Demoncrapic Congress NOT On The Payroll???-Fumigation and Extermination Has To Start on DAY 1!! Trump Has Secured Many a Traitor Before!-Why Does He Keep Falling For it???
Good point R.V.WINKEL; this is why I never jumped on Truth Social or took the invite to get back on the devious MuskX Twitter after having been booted off by “Dorsey the Evil Leftist Commie and Company! We are all on “shaky ground” and why Trump has done so much that seems right and then just as much that seems so wrong, to me is “a real brain teasing dilemma; maybe like life itself!” I had thousands of others like all of us here, on Twitter and LinkedIn, but I grew weary of the “chasing our tail routine” that seems to be part of the bigger plan because you can be sure there are “Master Control Freaks at the Helm” driving this MESS straight to Hell!
Blowing smoke up our asses! Crock of Shit!
More “Newspeak, Double-Think, Think-Speak and a Dystopian Mind-Set” coming at ya!
“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right.” George Orwell
“You are young yet, my friend,” replied my host, “but the time will arrive when you will learn to judge for yourself of what is going on in the world, without trusting to the gossip of others. Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see. Edgar Allan Poe
Maybe prophetic back then!
://youtu.be/St2uph-zRdo
“Mike And The Mechanics – Silent Running (1986) (Official Video)”