Trump could turn the tide for a House speaker facing conservative rage and ouster threat

WASHINGTON – House Speaker Mike Johnson has had a brutal week trying to control the rowdy band of Republicans that he leads. And that’s before he even got to Friday, when he’ll be hanging out with the GOP’s de facto leader in Donald Trump.

Johnson’s visit to the former president’s Mar-a-Lago residence and 2024 White House campaign headquarters comes at a critical moment for the Louisiana Republican as he faces a threat to forcibly remove him from his post by the longtime Trump ally and conservative rabble-rouser Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.

Trump has already proven to be highly influential in House affairs. The former president emboldened conservative opposition to Johnson’s plan to reauthorize a controversial spying law on Wednesday, plunging the House into chaos after those far-right members used procedural tactics to freeze the lower chamber to protest the speakers’ agenda.

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“Trump’s never really been one that’s made it easy to govern. He has a tendency to offer opinions before he fully researched the issue,” a House Republican said of Trump’s hold on House Republicans, on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly with USA TODAY.

The spy law debacle underscores how Trump’s influence could turn the tides for – or against – Johnson as he tries to fend off Greene’s ouster threat and other conservative backlash. While the speaker already keeps in regular touch with the president, the public event Friday afternoon will highlight their relationship at a particularly fraught time for Johnson.

‘Kiss the ring’

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, a Trump ally and the former president’s White House physician, told USA TODAY the meeting and following event is “absolutely” important for Johnson as he attempts to navigate the speakership.

Jackson rebuked Greene’s threat to oust the speaker “as the last thing we need right now.” The former president “respects him and he likes him.” Trump’s support for Johnson could certainly be “helpful” for his survival.

A consultant for a GOP lawmaker and other Republicans put Johnson’s visit and the event with their party’s presumptive presidential nominee more bluntly.

“The last time a Republican House Speaker visited Mar-a-Lago, it was to capitulate and kiss the ring. I suspect Speaker Johnson will do the same thing knowing he’s one Trump tweet away from losing his speakership,” the consultant said, referring to then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s visit to South Florida that came less than a month after the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot and when Trump’s political power appeared to be at an all-time low point.

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, arrives to the House Republican conference meeting in the U.S. Capitol Building on March 20, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., a conservative who joined 18 other rebels earlier this week to freeze the House in protest of the GOP’s spy law plan, is cold towards removing Johnson, saying he doesn’t believe it is a “prosperous avenue to be going down.”

But Steube noted that Johnson still does not have as strong of a relationship with Trump compared to McCarthy, who went on to become House speaker in January 2023 but then lost the gavel last October in a conservative revolt similar to the one facing his successor.

Steube added that it was “important for the speaker to have a relationship with the leader of our party and be in more constant communication with him.” Trump’s support, he added, could change conservatives’ attitude towards Johnson “if he starts governing differently.”

Greene’s threat could soon materialize on the House floor. Johnson is under heavy pressure from both sides of the aisle to put Ukraine aid on the floor and is likely to move on the issue next week. The Georgia Republican has signaled she will call up a vote to oust Johnson if he attempts to push through the Ukraine funding.

Trump intervening to support Johnson would be ‘tremendous’: House Republican

Some Republicans think it would be best for Trump to get involved immediately and tell Greene to drop her bid. There are concerns among some GOP lawmakers that another leadership crisis would not only endanger their chances of retaining control of the House, but also reflect poorly on Trump’s reelection campaign.

“I don’t think it would be helpful to go through another motion to vacate whatsoever,” another House Republican said on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about the former president. “I think it would be tremendous for President Trump to get involved,” and tell Greene to call off her plans to oust Johnson.

Greene met with Johnson for over an hour in his office on Wednesday. Leaving the meeting, when asked if she has spoken with the former president and if he supports her efforts, she declined to answer and said she doesn’t “talk about the conversations I have with the president.”

“I don’t speak for the president. He makes all of his views and opinions known” publicly, she added.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks to reporters in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol Building on April 10, 2024 in Washington, DC.

While Trump could simply stay out of the House speaker fight, there’s also worry among Republicans that his silence could be misinterpreted by conservatives.

If Trump stays quiet, a senior House GOP aide said on the condition of anonymity, it would be “worse” for the speaker and could put Johnson in a tighter spot as his conservative antagonists might not see an issue with ousting him.

Not only will the Mar-a-Lago event on Friday be crucial to Johnson’s speakership, the hope is to also rally House Republicans together to portray unity after months of intra-party bickering and infighting.

But that unity isn’t a given for some hardliners. Asked whether there needs to be a united front in the GOP, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus said: “Of course there needs to be a united front and we all agree on that. The question is: united on what?”

Contributing: Zac Anderson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump could turn the tide for a House speaker facing conservative rage and ouster threat