How Speaker Mike Johnson worked with Trump to score deal to make it harder to oust him from power

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has negotiated a woody that volition amended shield him from getting thrown retired of powerfulness adjacent Congress - and helium has Donald Trump to thank.

The president-elect has been precise complimentary of the talker successful the past week aft Republicans maintained power of the House and the 2 person been spotted astatine high-profile GOP events from Mar-a-Lago to Washington, D.C.

Whether discussing enactment plans implicit meal oregon legislative strategy by telephone Johnson seemingly has been brought person into the erstwhile and aboriginal president's orbit. 

That blossoming narration whitethorn beryllium liable for a large concession precocious made by the astir MAGA members of the House Republican league this week.

While visiting Washington, D.C., connected Wednesday Trump stopped by a backstage gathering with House Republicans and urged them to rally down Johnson. 

The president-elect told the country filled with hundreds of lawmakers helium '100 percent' supports Johnson.

'This is simply a tremendous guy. I’m with him each the way,' Trump said.

Trump's declaration of religion successful Johnson conscionable up of the House GOP enactment elections was clear, and later that time the talker won reelection with an unanimous vote. 

Then that evening it was announced helium volition beryllium 8 times harder to region from power.

Just implicit a twelvemonth aft erstwhile Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was ousted from power, Speaker Mike Johnson and immoderate hardline conservatives person struck a woody to marque it harder to region him arsenic enactment leader.

Johnson on with Reps. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., and Andy Harris, R-Md., revealed Wednesday evening that a woody was struck to rise the ballot threshold for a 'motion to vacate' the talker from 1 azygous ballot to 9 votes. 

'We had an accidental to acceptable the question to vacate astatine a higher than fig one, that question to vacate volition beryllium acceptable astatine 9 successful instrumentality for getting escaped of immoderate amendments that astir apt would person divided this conference,' the South Dakota Republican.

He claimed it enactment the House 'in a amended presumption to determination guardant with the Republican docket to marque definite that Speaker Johnson, South Dakota Senate Leader John Thune and our President Donald Trump person an accidental to spell forward.'

Currently, if 1 subordinate files a question to vacate the speaker, the full House could soon ballot connected whether that speaker, successful this lawsuit Johnson, gets to support their job. 

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz - Trump's lawyer wide nominee - notoriously began McCarthy's ouster by raising a question to vacate successful October 2023. 

Gaetz's solitary ballot of nary assurance kickstarted a revolt against the speaker, yet starring to his ousting from powerfulness and aboriginal status from Congress altogether.

The Florida Republican on with 7 different members of the GOP joined each Democratic subordinate to region McCarthy, which past kicked disconnected weeks of turbulence arsenic the House GOP grasped astatine straws attempting to find a caller leader. 

After a flurry of unsuccessful candidates and weeks of Congress being paralyzed - it can't relation decently without a talker - Johnson emerged arsenic a genteel, occupation solver from Louisiana ready to unite the conference.

Just a fewer months aft the Louisiana Republican took the speaker's gavel his members were already asking for him to measurement down. 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., filed a question to vacate Johnson successful March conscionable similar his predecessor.

The Georgia lawmaker was furious implicit a $1.2 trillion authorities backing bill.

Greene and conservatives allies were enraged the 1,000 leafage bundle was released successful the mediate of the night, with nary clip to work it earlier the vote.

Johnson aboriginal avoided being removed and the menace ne'er materialized into a superior GOP insurrection. 

With the question to vacate threshold being raised to 9 from 1 it volition insulate Johnson from a fewer disgruntled members, but not from many. 

If 9 set unneurotic to formed a ballot to region Johnson the House would beryllium plunged backmost into a hopeless hunt for idiosyncratic to instrumentality the helm portion each different legislative work gets paused indefinitely. 

The woody volition beryllium finalized successful rules voted upon successful January 2025 and it should supply much stableness for the House GOP after threats similar Greene's.