Speaker Mike Johnson Defends Trump’s Election Denialism on CNBC: ‘Deep in His Heart’ He Felt He Was ‘Cheated’

The highest-ranking elected Republican in America defended former President Donald Trump’s election denialism today on CNBC.

Appearing on Squawk Box, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was confronted by host Joe Kernen about the former president’s unfounded belief that the 2020 election was stolen.

“If he did know that he lost the election, was trying to say, then that’s a dangerous precedent to return someone to office that wasn’t going to leave office, even if he knew for a fact that he had,” Kernen said. “So I guess you would argue that he really believed at that point, and maybe he still believes that he won the election?”

“I take him at his word,” Johnson replied.”I do believe that he believes that. Remember, I was one of his lawyers. I worked on the impeachment defense team twice in the House to defend his positions. And I know how he thinks. And he’s convinced that because of all the irregularities and everything else, that he was still entitled to that.”

CNBC host Andrew Ross Sorkin proceeded to challenge the speaker about comments from Trump that had been “fundamentally not accurate.”

“There have been things that he has said where — right now, by the way, it’s sunny outside, but it’s like he’s saying it’s raining,” Sorkin said. “And I think for a lot of Americans, they look at that, and they say that’s very hard to trust.”

Johnson went on to downplay Trump’s rhetoric as just another inaccurate claim from a D.C. politician.

“Listen, there are a lot of people in Washington who’s saying things that are not accurate all the time,” Johnson said. “Everybody does. We’re all human. But I’ll say this about President Trump with regard to that to the election, and what he believes about that, that is deep in his heart. I mean, I’ve talked to him personally about it. Many of us have. And over the years, you’ve heard him say repeatedly over and over the same refrain that he just felt like he was cheated in that election. And I think that’s a core conviction of his. And when I say we should take him at his word on that, he believes it.”

Watch above, via CNBC.