House Speaker Mike Johnson found himself in a photo op that spoke volumes on Friday. Standing shoulder to shoulder with former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Johnson seized the opportunity to present a united front. This moment comes at a crucial juncture in Johnson’s tenure, as he unveils a new GOP “election integrity” bill.
In a press conference, Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, expressed his admiration for Johnson’s exceptional performance despite the challenging circumstances. This endorsement came at a crucial time for Johnson, who is currently facing a potential challenge to his speakership from Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. Trump emphasized his good relationship with Greene but advised House Republicans against engaging in another lengthy struggle for the speaker’s position in the near future.
“We have a great rapport with the speaker, and Marjorie and I get along famously,” Trump expressed. “The speaker’s appointment involved a complex process, and it’s undoubtedly a challenging position for anyone. However, I believe he is performing admirably, doing the best job possible. I’m confident that Marjorie recognizes this as well.”
During the press conference, the main focus was on the upcoming “election integrity” bill that Johnson announced House Republicans will soon address. According to the speaker, the legislation, which has not been released yet, aims to establish stricter requirements for voter registration by demanding proof of citizenship. Additionally, it aims to address existing loopholes in state voter registration protocols that currently only require voters to assert their citizenship without having to provide concrete evidence. The bill would also mandate the removal of any non-citizens from voter rolls as a necessary step towards ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.
The two issues were tied together by citing the large influx of migrants entering the U.S. in recent years.
House Republicans are set to introduce a new bill that aims to mandate proof of citizenship for voting, according to Johnson. He believes that this requirement is a logical step to ensure that only U.S. citizens have the right to vote in U.S. elections. Johnson points out the potential impact of millions of undocumented immigrants residing in the country, stating that even if only a small fraction of them were to vote, it could result in a significant number of votes in an election.
For decades, voting in federal elections has been strictly limited to citizens only. The Trump-aligned Heritage Foundation has maintained a database which reveals that there have been only 25 instances of non-citizens attempting to vote in federal elections over the past 20 years.
The Democratic-controlled Senate ensures that the bill has no chance of passing. Johnson himself admitted that the legislation is an attempt to address a problem that doesn’t actually exist, as he stated, “we cannot wait for widespread fraud to occur.” Despite this, Trump persists in making false claims about voter fraud being the reason for his loss in the 2020 election.
In a statement released on Friday evening, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the press conference, stating that its primary purpose was to create more confusion and mistrust in our elections. He emphasized that even conservative organizations like the CATO Institute have acknowledged that noncitizens do not vote in federal or state elections. Schumer went on to assert that the real threats to our democracy are Donald Trump, the spread of the “big lie,” and those who promote it for partisan gain.
In Washington, Greene is threatening to force a vote to remove Johnson from office due to concerns about government spending and potential aid to Ukraine. However, no other House Republicans have joined her in this effort. It is worth noting that a single member has the power to initiate a vote to remove a speaker, a rule that former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to during his tenure.
Johnson has been facing challenges in bringing together his divided Republican conference ever since he took over as the leader after McCarthy’s removal last year. Just recently, a faction of conservatives once again rebelled, causing the blocking of a bill aimed at renewing the government’s surveillance powers. However, a modified version of the bill was eventually passed on Friday.
In anticipation of Johnson’s Mar-a-Lago appearance, the Biden campaign issued a statement from Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chair of the House committee that conducted the investigation into the January 6th Capitol attack. Thompson labeled Trump as “a peril to our democracy and a threat to our Constitution.”
According to Thompson, Donald Trump and Mike Johnson are not concerned about election integrity; their main focus is assisting Trump’s campaign to regain power through revenge and retribution, regardless of the consequences.
Marjorie Taylor Greene recently reiterated her intention to push for a vote on removing Johnson from his position. However, she has not specified a timeline for taking action on this matter. It is worth noting that Greene’s threats coincide with the growing pressure on Johnson to hold a vote on providing additional aid to Ukraine, a stance that Greene vehemently opposes.
In a recent interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Johnson expressed that he holds no grudges against Marjorie. However, he believes that the stalemate in Congress is detrimental to both the Republican Party and Trump’s prospects in the 2024 elections. Following McCarthy’s removal in the autumn, the House experienced a prolonged standstill.
“We need to show the American people that we have the ability to maintain stability,” he stated in an interview with CBN. “Removing the speaker by pushing a motion to vacate at this moment would be counterproductive. It would essentially shut down Congress, and we would bear the brunt of the blame. This would negatively impact our chances of expanding our majority, as well as the prospects of our party and President Trump’s reelection bid since our fates are interconnected.”
Johnson’s trip to Mar-a-Lago brought back memories of McCarthy’s visit to the same place weeks after the Capitol assault on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters put the lives of Congress members and Vice President Mike Pence at risk. McCarthy, who initially held Trump responsible for the riot, later sought Trump’s backing in his bid to become the speaker.
