Mike Johnson Gives Trump Speaker’s Gavel After Bill-Signing

Speaker Mike Johnson gave President Donald Trump a speaker’s gavel on Friday, immediately after Trump signed a massive spending bill into law.

The House passed the legislation on Thursday after Trump successfully lobbied some of the remaining Republican holdouts against the bill. A handful of conservative lawmakers objected to the package because the Congressional Budget Office estimated it would add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over 10 years. Ultimately, however, only two House Republicans voted against it, and the measure passed.

The bill contains several big-ticket Republican items, including an extension of the 2017 tax cuts, a reduction in Medicaid funding by $1 trillion, a $150 billion allocation for a “Golden Dome” to protect the U.S. mainland from missile attacks, and an increase funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement from $10 billion to more than $100 billion.

Trump gave remarks from the White House balcony overlooking the South Lawn on Independence Day to mark the passage of the bill and the Fourth of July. Later, he sat down to sign the legislation while flanked by Republican members of Congress in front of an audience of military members and their families. After signing it, Johnson gave Trump a gift.

“Mr. President, this is the gavel used to enact the big, beautiful bill,” the speaker explained. “And I want you to have that for your collection.”

Amid some “oohs” and “aahs,” Trump accepted the gavel and asked, “Are we ready? Are you ready?” Members of the crowd replied that they were, in fact, ready. Trump responded by dutifully banging the gavel on the signing desk.

“Have a great time, everybody,” Trump said.

Watch above via C-SPAN.