JUST IN: Trump Insists Mike Johnson Must Act ‘Decisively and Tough’ on Spending Bill to Remain Speaker
(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
President-elect Donald Trump said House Speaker Mike Johnson will “easily” keep his job if he acts “decisively” following his continuing resolution spending bill was killed.
On Thursday, Trump spoke with Fox News Digital shortly after a Johnson-backed spending package to avoid a government shutdown failed. The bill would have funded the government into March. The resolution earned blowback from a number of Republican lawmakers. Johnson, however, appears to still have the support of Trump.
“If the speaker acts decisively, and tough, and gets rid of all of the traps being set by the Democrats, which will economically and, in other ways, destroy our country, he will easily remain speaker,” he said.
Incoming Vice President JD Vance met with Johnson on Wednesday night to discuss steps moving forward.
Trump made it clear taking care of the “debt ceiling” needs to be a priority.
“Anybody that supports a bill that doesn’t take care of the Democrat quicksand known as the debt ceiling should be primaried and disposed of as quickly as possible,” he said.
A House Speaker vote is set for Jan. 3.
On Truth Social, Trump spoke more widely about his feelings on the spending bill, saying it did not go far enough. According to him, the matter should not be debated until after he is in office after his inauguration on Jan. 20.
“If Republicans try to pass a clean Continuing Resolution without all of the Democrat “bells and whistles” that will be so destructive to our Country, all it will do, after January 20th, is bring the mess of the Debt Limit into the Trump Administration, rather than allowing it to take place in the Biden Administration. Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will, be Primaried. Everything should be done, and fully negotiated, prior to my taking Office on January 20th, 2025,” he wrote.
