Mike Johnson’s stunning rise to speaker has been hailed as a win for conservatives. But he faces key tests on the road ahead.
Within hours after House Republicans unanimously voted to elevate a little-known Louisiana congressman to the speaker’s chair, those on the right and left rushed to fill the blank canvas with a man of their own making: “MAGA Mike.”
Critics and supporters alike portrayed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as a protégé of former President Donald Trump who would likely implement a staunchly conservative agenda.
“If you don’t think that moving from Kevin McCarthy to MAGA Mike Johnson shows the ascendance of this movement—and where the power of the Republican Party truly lies—then you’re not paying attention,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in early October, said in a televised interview.
President Trump himself backed Mr. Johnson’s bid for speaker and celebrated his election, calling him “MAGA MIKE JOHNSON!” in a social media post on Oct. 25.
“This has been about one thing,” Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) said earlier about the Republicans’ fumbling search for a speaker candidate. “This has been about who can appease Donald Trump.”
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) picked up the nickname in a speech on the Senate floor. “If Speaker Johnson lives up to the label that Congressman Gaetz has given him, MAGA Mike, he will fail as the previous speakers have.”
While these pronouncements characterize Mr. Johnson’s election as a win for the right flank of the Republican conference, others say that the realities of leadership will drive the new speaker to take a more pragmatic approach with a view to getting things done.
How Conservative Is Johnson?
In his first major interview after becoming speaker, Mr. Johnson ticked a number of conservative boxes.
Regarding gun violence, he said: “It’s not guns, it’s not the weapons. At the end of the day, we have to protect the right of the citizens to protect themselves and that’s the Second Amendment. And that’s why our party stands so strongly for that.” Mr. Johnson added that the country needs to strengthen its approach to treating mental illness.
On President Joe Biden’s record, Mr. Johnson said, “I think it’s been a failed presidency and all the problems … here were caused by policy choices, and that’s the problem I have with him.”
The new speaker is a pro-life, “Bible-believing Christian,” and he opposes gender transition treatment for minors.
Yet those positions don’t distinguish Mr. Johnson as that much more conservative than the Republican conference as a whole.
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