House Speaker Mike Johnson seeks Donald Trump's support amid threat to his job. Former president responds

Former US President Donald Trump listens as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during a press conference at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on April 12, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. They spoke about “election integrity,” which has been one of the former president’s top issues. (Photo by JOE RAEDLE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

House Speaker Mike Johnson has not had an easy week. One of the most conservative members of his congressional caucus is in revolt with him, which could cost him his job.

The issue of extending assistance to Ukraine is, to this point, still facing protest. The House Speaker also brought up the issue of passage of the domestic information collection program which he said took three times by the House to push through.

So on Friday, he took another short flight to Florida, where the man who has been POTUS’s biggest voucher since before he even took office, gave him another lifeline to shelter under.

It’s none other than former US President Donald Trump.

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Trump backs Jhonson amid calls for ouster

Johnson’s leadership position has been under siege, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch conservative from Georgia and a dedicated follower of Trump, escalating her criticism of him. This comes less than half a year into Johnson’s tenure as Speaker.

And Jhonson had no way left rather than running to Trump’s Palm Beach resort, The visit was to save his neck on the line.

When questioned about his stance on Greene’s proposal to unseat Johnson, Trump expressed: “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 and I think very — it’s not an easy situation for any speaker. 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.”

Trump further reinforced his support for Johnson, stating, “I stand with the speaker,” and added, “unfortunate that people bring it up because right now, we have much bigger problems.”

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Trump and Mike Johnson had a discussion on ‘election integrity’

The primary agenda for the meeting between Johnson and Trump was to discuss “election integrity”.

In the afternoon, Trump disclosed that their discussion centred on implementing safeguards to prevent noncitizens from participating in elections.

At the luxurious Mar-a-Lago resort, Johnson, representing Louisiana, expressed his satisfaction with the opportunity to collaborate with the GOP’s prospective nominee for the 2024 election.

Despite the fact that noncitizen voting is already prohibited and instances of it occurring are exceedingly rare, Trump and his supporters have continued to propagate the unfounded claim that undocumented immigrants influenced the outcome of the 2020 election and could potentially do so again.

While clapping Trump’s back, Johnson advocated for legislative action on federal voting laws, saying, “House Republicans are introducing a bill that will require proof of citizenship to vote. It seems like common sense.”

He raised concerns about the presence of “millions of illegals” in the country, suggesting that they might try to vote under the radar. “This could be a tight election — in our congressional races around the country. It could, if there are enough votes, affect the presidential election.”

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