White smoke at the United States Capitol: conservative Mike Johnson, a fervent supporter of former President Donald Trump, was elected speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, ending three weeks of blockage punctuated by incredible twists and turns. This 51-year-old lawyer and activist for “traditional” values, who supported legal attempts to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election, managed to obtain 220 votes in the vote.
His election was greeted by cheers and a standing ovation from members of his political party, the Republican Party, which has a majority in the House, visibly relieved to see the end of the tunnel. “Friend of all, enemy of none” in the words of Republican elected official Elise Stefanik who introduced him to the chamber, he will immediately have to tackle heavy tasks.
Navigating between Republican positions
First by embarking on discussions that promise to be difficult to avoid a budgetary paralysis of the federal administration in mid-November, not only with experienced negotiators like Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer and President Joe Biden, but also members of his own party. Then, by navigating between the positions of his Republican colleagues, who have been showing deep disagreements for weeks, to respond to the request for funds requested by Joe Biden for Ukraine and Israel.
His election comes at the end of a real soap opera which exposed the internal struggles between right-wing elected officials in broad daylight. Elected from Louisiana little known to the general public, Mike Johnson was in fact the fourth Republican to be chosen by his party in 22 days to replace Kevin McCarthy, dismissed in a historic vote. The exasperation of the Republicans, anxious to put an end to a sequence which embarrassed many of them, worked in his favor.
The support of Matt Gaetz, fierce Trumpist
Mike Johnson was endorsed by Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, both of whom failed to make the ballot. He was also able to count on the support of Matt Gaetz, fierce Trumpist and instigator of the fall of Kevin McCarthy. Mike Johnson is “an honorable man” who “is going to do great things for the country,” he said before the vote, asserting that the trend in favor of Donald Trump was gaining momentum.
“If you think that the shift from Kevin McCarthy to the Trumpist Mike Johnson is not a sign of the rise of this movement, and of the real place of power within the Republican Party, then you have not followed what’s happening,” he said. A trend that has not escaped the Democrats. “Who can appease Donald Trump, this is what it’s about,” said elected official Pete Aguilar, referring to the tumult within the rival party.
Legislation hostile to LGBT people in Louisiana
Mike Johnson entered the House of Representatives in 2017 after sparking controversy with legislation considered hostile to LGBT people in Louisiana. The father of four also voted against codifying federal protections for same-sex marriage last year. And he was the leader of more than 100 Republicans who signed a legal memo supporting a lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election in four states won by President Joe Biden.
ABC News asked him Tuesday evening about this complaint on which the Supreme Court refused to rule, but he simply answered “next question” while his colleagues booed the journalist.