Mike Johnson re-elected House speaker after GOP mutiny threat dissolves

Republicans are expected to change House rules and make it more difficult to oust a speaker of the House, just one year after a single GOP lawmaker initiated the first-ever removal of a member from the position.

Former Rep. Kevin McCarthy was elected speaker of the House in January 2023 but was not elected on the first ballot. It took lawmakers four days and 15 votes to finally find consensus and back McCarthy for the position, but the infighting did not stop there.

House rules currently allow for one lawmaker to have the ability to introduce a motion to vacate the speakership and initiate a vote on the floor. So, when former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz introduced a motion to vacate McCarthy from the top House post, a vote was initiated, and enough support resulted in his ousting.

However, House Republicans are seeking to change this rule and make it harder to vacate the chamber's top post in the future.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Aubrie Spady.

President-elect Trump appears to have helped Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., avoid a messy, drawn-out fight to lead the House of Representatives.

Trump spoke by phone with both Reps. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Keith Self, R-Texas, after they had initially voted for people other than Johnson for speaker, two knowledgeable sources told Fox News Digital.

Self and Norman were seen disappearing into a side room with Johnson and others after the roll call vote was complete, but before the vote was formally closed. 

They emerged minutes later and announced they would both vote for Johnson – cementing the Louisiana Republican's victory.

Self then confirmed that he had spoken with Trump by phone multiple times on Friday, telling reporters that they had a "lively" discussion.

Two people who spoke with Fox News Digital said Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., connected Trump with Self and Norman by phone after they voted against Johnson.

Mace would not comment, but Fox News Digital saw her and Johnson share a hug on the House floor after they and others were in the side room with the holdouts. She was also seen in intense talks with Norman off the House floor earlier.

"He just made his point about how Mike is the only one who could get elected," Norman said, adding that Trump did not change his vote but rather a "commitment that things are gonna change" from Johnson."

This is an excerpt from Fox News's Elizabeth Elkind and Morgan Phillips.

U.S. Virgin Islands Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D) protested the nonvoting status of the Virgin Islands and other U.S. territories Friday— sparking mixed reactions after she accused the U.S. of having a "colonies problem" in a House floor speech.

The exchange occurred after Plaskett, a Democrat, stood after the first roll call vote to ask the House clerk why she and other delegates from the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and D.C. were not asked to participate in the speaker vote.

Combined, she noted that the delegates excluded represent some 4 million Americans.

Speaking over Republican cries of "order!" that could be heard in the background, the House clerk then explained that delegates-elect, and the resident commissioner-elect, are not qualified to vote in the House speaker election, as provided in Section 36 of the House Rules and Manual.

That response prompted an impassioned reply from Plaskett."This body, and this nation, has a territories and a colonies problem," she said.

Her mic appears to have been cut off shortly thereafter.

Plaskett has served as a nonvoting delegate to the U.S. Virgin Islands since 2015— a time frame during which the House has held seven separate speaker votes.

This is an excerpt from Fox News's Breanne Deppisch.

FIRST ON FOX: President-elect Trump reacted to Mike Johnson’s re-election as speaker of the House, telling Fox News Digital the process brought House Republicans "even closer together," and said it is a continuation of "Make America Great Again."

Johnson was re-elected speaker of the House Friday. Sources told Fox News Digital that the president-elect was in "constant communication" with House Republicans throughout the process.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said it was "a great honor to have helped." 

"It is all a great continuation of ‘Make America Great Again,’" Trump said. "Mike Johnson will do a fabulous job as speaker," Trump said. "House Republican membership was fantastic."

"This process has brought them even closer together," he said. "It is all a reflection of the great presidential election of 2024 where we won all seven swing states, the popular vote and everything else there is to win."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Brooke Singman.

Speaker-designate Mike Johnson, R-La., was re-elected to lead the House of Representatives on Friday.

The Louisiana Republican won along party lines during the first round of voting, a stark contrast to his predecessor’s drawn-out, 15-round battle in 2023.

It comes despite saber-rattling by some conservatives who threatened to withhold support from Johnson in protest of his handling of government funding and several other issues in the 118th Congress.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who was part of an unsuccessful push to oust Johnson last year, was the speaker-designate’s most vocal critic leading up to the Friday vote.

Other detractors included members of the House Freedom Caucus like Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who has expressed interest in chairing the influential House Rules Committee.

In the final hours before the House speaker vote, President-elect Donald Trump placing calls to Republican holdouts, an effort to help Johnson win reelection and avoid a protracted leadership fight.

"Thank you, President Trump!" Johnson said on X. "Today is a new day in America. Congressional Republicans must stay united to quickly deliver President Trump’s America First agenda. Let’s get it done."

Reporting from Fox News's Liz Elkind and Breanne Deppisch.

Speaker-designate Mike Johnson is huddling with two of the Republican lawmakers who are considering voting against him in the first round of the speaker race.

Lawmakers convened on Friday to vote for a speaker of the House. The first round saw three Republican Rep-elects, Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Keith Self, R-Texas, cast their vote for a candidate other than Johnson.

However, the first round remains open and the lawmakers can still change their vote. A speaker candidate needs a majority of the vote to win, meaning that if the holdouts decide keep their original vote when the first ballot is made official, Johnson will not have received enough votes to secure the gavel and lawmakers will head into a second round.

Massie has been a definite "no" vote against Johnson for weeks was not seen at the meeting with Johnson. However, Norman and Self were seen entering the the GOP cloakroom with the Louisiana Republican after they cast their vote for a different candidate.

House lawmakers have been urged to return to the chamber immediately during a first round vote to elect a new speaker that apparently did not result in any winners, three sources told Fox News Digital.

The sources said the notice was sent in preparation for a likely second vote.There's not much else that can be done, given that the House of Representatives is paralyzed until a new speaker is chosen.

Speaker-designate Mike Johnson, R-La., appears on track to lose the first round, having not won an outright majority of lawmakers who are voting for a speaker.

Johnson won 216 votes, while House Minority Leader-elect Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., won 215. Three Republicans voted for someone else.

The first round vote has not formally ended, with House GOP leaders likely keeping it open while working out their next move.

President-elect Donald Trump gave his "complete" and "total" endorsement of Mike Johnson ahead of next month's expected fight to hold onto the House speakership. 

"The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all of the destructive policies of the last Administration. Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man," Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday. "He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!!!"

Trump, championing the GOP as "the Party of COMMON SENSE," also included a warning to Republicans.

"We ran a flawless campaign, having spent FAR LESS, with lots of money left over. They ran a very expensive ‘sinking ship,’ embracing DOJ & FBI WEAPONIZATION against their political opponent, ME. BUT IT DIDN’T WORK, IT WAS A DISASTER!!!" Trump wrote, adding: "LETS NOT BLOW THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY WHICH WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN." 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace.

Fox News' Bret Baier appeared on "Outnumbered" Friday to discuss the mood in the House as lawmakers massed on the floor to hold their first votes for House speaker.

Several Republican lawmakers declined to vote when their names were called in the first round of voting, opting to hold their votes until the end of the ballot.

Two other members elect, Thomas Massie and Ralph Norman, ultimately voted against House Speaker Mike Johnson—effectively freezing all House activity, including the swearing in of House lawmakers, and the certification of Trump's presidential victory, until a speaker is confirmed.

The "no" votes, coupled with the Republicans who declined to vote, leaves Mike Johnson's possible reelection as House speaker hanging in the balance.

"We're told [Trump] has had conversations that were positive for speaker Johnson," Baier said Friday.

"In Trump world, we can see that they are watching this closely— they would like this to be clean, number one to get this moving, and most importantly, to certify the election that just happened on January 6," he added.

The House of Representatives has started voting to elect a speaker of the House for the next congress.

Lawmakers gathered on Capitol Hill on Friday to be sworn into the 119th Congress, but must first elect a speaker of the House before proceeding with any official congressional business.

Speaker-designate Mike Johnson, R-La., is seeking re-election for the top House post, however, the Louisiana Republican must win a majority of the vote to secure the gavel for another two years. Republicans currently hold 219 seats in the chamber, while Democrats hold 215, meaning that if only two Republicans vote against Johnson, he loses the first ballot.

Johnson was nominated by Rep-elect. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., who told Fox News on Friday that she is "cautiously optimistic" he will secure the speakership on the first round of voting. Democratic Rep-elect. Pete Aguilar nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

Several Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Ralph Norman, Tim Burchett, and Andy Biggs, have said that they remain undecided if they will vote for Johnson as of Friday morning. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has said he is going to vote against Johnson during the vote.

President-elect Trump endorsed Johnson for speaker, writing in a Truth Social post on Friday that the congressman is a "fine man of great ability, who is close to having 100% support."

House Republicans appeared laid back and optimistic Friday as they gathered on the House floor ahead of the election of the next speaker.

The run-up to Friday's election had been fraught, and more than a dozen Republicans suggested at various points that they were uncertain as to whether they would support the reelection of House Speaker Mike Johnson, who under the narrow House majority could afford just one GOP defector in order to retain control of the speaker's gavel.

Efforts by President-elect Donald Trump to shore up support among Republicans appear to have been successful, and members appeared relaxed and calm Friday as they massed onto the House floor in preparation for a quorum vote.

Many members had brought their young children, and could be seen chatting amicably and taking photos with their colleagues.

Johnson, for his part, stood at the front of the chamber, often grinning broadly and taking photos with members-elect and their families.

Speaker-designate Mike Johnson released a list of commitments for the 119th Congress, if re-elected speaker on Friday.

"Republicans have a real opportunity in the next two years to make meaningful spending reforms to eliminate trillions in waste, fraud, and abuse, and end the weaponization of government," Johnson wrote in a post on X. "Along with advancing President Trump’s America First agenda, I will lead the House Republicans to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, hold the bureaucracy accountable, and move the United States to a more sustainable fiscal trajectory."

Johnson's promises center around an effort to "restore fiscal responsibility" by creating a working group "comprised of independent experts – not corrupted by lobbyists and special interests – to work with DOGE," Trump's newly formed Department of Government Efficiency soon to be headed by Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk. Johnson then said he would task the group with "reviewing existing audits of federal agencies and entities created by Congress – and issuing a report to my office for public release."

Thirdly, Johnson promised to request that "House committees undertake aggressive authorizations and appropriations reviews, including providing additional resources where needed, to expose irresponsible or illegal practices and hold agencies/individuals accountable that have weaponized government against the American people."

Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., who will be nominating Speaker-designate Mike Johnson on Friday, said that she is "cautiously optimistic" in his chances of winning the speaker vote on the first round, despite several GOP members who remain undecided.

The House is scheduled to vote for a speaker on Friday afternoon. Asked if she thinks Johnson will received a majority of the vote needed to win on the first ballot, the congresswoman told Fox News' Bill Melugin "I sure hope so."

"He is an absolute proven leader. He was given this daunting task and he's done a very good job of navigating the waters," she told Fox News on Friday. "he has a different approach though. It's a very bottom up approach."

"He's done a very remarkable job, he's strong, he an honest broker, and he listens. it might be a little messy out there, but at the end of that, that's people airing their grievances and talking about what they want to see in the conference improve. 

McClain said that she is "confident" and "cautiously optimistic" that Johnson will be re-elected speaker on the first round and that she doesn't think any other candidate could get enough votes to win the speakership.

"I'm hoping there are not any late surprises," noting that Johnson has met with the lawmakers that have concerns. "I really don't think its going to be that messy."

In the final hours leading up to Friday's House speaker vote, President-elect Donald Trump began making more calls to Republican holdouts, part of an ongoing bid to help Mike Johnson win reelection as House Speaker.

Trump’s calls with the lawmakers were all described to Fox News as being “positive” for Johnson. The eleventh-hour lobbying from Trump could help Johnson win the speaker's gavel in the first round of voting, avoiding a protracted leadership election like the one seen by his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, ahead of his election as House speaker in 2023.

The news adds what Fox News’s Brett Baier described as cautious optimism among those in Trump’s world that Johnson will win the speaker’s gavel in the first ballot.

The President-elect was also described to Fox News as “engaged and watching" the process, and did not rule out the possibility of making more calls as needed on Johnson's behalf, pending the results of the first speaker vote.

Reporting from Fox News's Brett Baier and Breanne Deppisch.

The Constitution dictates that the 119th Congress begins at noon et on Friday. 

And the first order of business in the House is to elect the Constitutional officer for the legislative branch of government: Speaker of the House.

Only the House votes for Speaker. And the House can’t do anything – I’ll repeat that, anything – until it chooses a Speaker. 

It can’t swear-in Members until the House taps a Speaker and he or she is sworn-in. The Speaker then swears-in the rest of the body, en masse. Then the House must adopt a rules package to govern daily operations. Only then can the House go about debating bills, voting and constructing committees for hearings. 

If the House fails to elect a Speaker on the first ballot, it must proceed to a second ballot. 

And on and on.  

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Chad Pergram.

Lawmakers who have withheld support for Speaker Mike Johnson suggest that assigning one of the undecided members to a chair position could work in his favor during the upcoming speaker vote.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, has said that he has not committed to backing Johnson for speaker. However, Roy is currently seeking the position of chair of the House Rules Committee - an assignment in the hands of the speaker, who controls committee leadership.

“Right now, I believe members of the Freedom Caucus are concerned about one of their members, Chip Roy. They’d like to see him chair of the Rules Committee. I think if the Speaker were to do that, I think it would be over. I think he would be the Speaker,” Burchett said on NewsNation.

Several of Roy's fellow Freedom Caucus members have signaled that they are not committed to backing Johnson yet, but are reportedly pushing the Texas congressman for the chair position and suggest such an assignment could help Johnson during Friday's vote.

“Mike Johnson coming out and committing to Chip Roy being the chairman of the Rules Committee would secure the vote on the first round," Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., said during an appearance on former Rep. Matt Gaetz's new show on One America News.

Johnson, however, said on Friday morning that he is not making deals in exchange for a vote.

"I don't make deals with anyone," Johnson told reporters. "There's no quid pro quo here. I don't do anything in exchange for a vote, other than commit to make this institution work as effectively and efficiently as possible."

House Speaker Mike Johnson is staring down a razor-thin majority in his bid to retain the speaker’s gavel in the 119th Congress, following a year mired in partisan infighting capped by a stopgap spending showdown to avert a partial government shutdown.

Though most Republicans are expected to back Johnson in Friday’s roll call vote, he has little room for error with a 219-215 GOP majority, and the opposition of at least one House Republican.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has already made clear his plans to not vote for Johnson — meaning that just one more defection would put Johnson below the 218-vote threshold.

Still, the House speaker election is the first order of business in every new Congress, and until one is selected, virtually all of the House’s agenda stands in limbo — including the swearing-in of members to the 119th Congress.

Should Johnson fail to secure the Republican majority, he will move to lobby Republican holdouts and likely make certain concessions before calling a second vote.

This process will essentially repeat until Johnson either wins the needed majority votes from his party, or until another Republican challenger emerges who can win over a majority of House members.

Likely working in Johnson’s favor is the calendar: On Monday, Jan. 6, the House and Senate must meet in joint session to certify Trump’s 2024 presidential victory.

It is unlikely Republicans would risk putting that on hold by failing to reach agreement on the speaker vote, and Trump has been making calls to possible "no" votes to attempt to gin up support for Johnson's election.

House Speaker Mike Johnson stressed Friday that has no plans to make deals or concessions to any Republican holdouts in order to secure their vote in the speaker's election, telling reporters that "there's no quid pro quo" when it comes to his leadership in the chamber.

Asked Friday about the intraparty divisions that could threaten his reelection as speaker, Johnson reiterated he has no plans to make deals in order to win over support from Republicans in the chamber.

I don't make deals with anyone. There's no quid pro quo here," Johnson told reporters. "I don't do anything in exchange for a vote, other than commit to make this institution work as effectively and efficiently as possible."

Written by Fox News's Tyler Olson and Breanne Deppisch.

The House of Representatives has convened for the last time of the 118th Congress.

Lawmakers convened for a a pro forma session on Friday, and will head into an immediate recess. Congress is expected to adjourn sine die at the end of the hour.

Shortly thereafter, the House will convene for the 119th Congress, beginning with a recorded vote on the quorum call. Lawmakers will then be called to vote for a speaker of the House - a race which could head into several rounds if Speaker Mike Johnson does not receive a majority of the vote.

Several Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Ralph Norman, Tim Burchett, and Andy Biggs, have said that they remain undecided if they will vote for Johnson as of Friday morning.

Republicans currently hold 219 seats in the chamber, while Democrats hold 215 House seats, meaning that if only two Republicans vote against Johnson, he loses.

After the House selects a speaker, members will be sworn into the new Congress. It remains unclear when the speaker will be named and members sworn in, as it took lawmakers four days to elect a speaker in 2023.