WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson He won the Republican nomination for the House of Representatives on Wednesday to keep his job and is well on his way to retaining the gavel after a long time. morning turnover from the president-elect Donald Trump Ahead of a full House vote in the new year.

Although Johnson does not have a serious opponent, he does have a situation to face. opposition within their own ranksEspecially as far-right conservatives and the Freedom Caucus withdrew their votes as leverage to obtain forward-looking promises.

Trump told House Republicans: President-elect’s first trip I’ve been back to Washington since the party wreaked havoc 2024 electionHe was with the speaker the entire way, according to a person familiar with the remarks but not authorized to discuss the private meeting near the Capitol.

Johnson heaped praise on Trump, calling him the “comeback king.”

It was a remarkable political journey for Johnson, the accidental speaker who emerged as the last and best choice to replace the ousted former speaker. Kevin McCarthy more than a year ago and quickly charted a course in this year’s election, positioning himself alongside Trump and leading Republicans.

As Johnson said, Trump is the “coach” and he is the “quarterback” as we prepare for a unified Republican government in the new year.

Johnson embraced Trump’s priorities about mass deportations, tax cuts, reductions in the federal workforce, and a stronger U.S. image abroad. Together they are working on what the speaker called an ambitious 100-day agenda, hoping to avoid the mistakes of Trump’s first term, when Congress was unprepared and “precious time” was wasted.

According to the same person in the room, Wednesday’s intra-GOP vote was conducted by voice rather than by roll call or ballot measure, and there was no opposition to Johnson. The rest of the GOP’s top leaders were also re-elected.

But the conclusion suggests that the speaker has a tougher road ahead.

Johnson, with Trump in the White House and expecting to lead the House of Representatives with a unified government Republicans take over the Senate The House majority is expected to remain narrowly divided, although control of the House remains undecided as it is still too early to decide on the final races, especially in California.

But the problems that come with a slim House majority and Johnson’s own ranks constantly revolting against his plans in his first year as president will likely spill over into the new year, with a potential new term. chaotic management.

Johnson needs an absolute majority in Wednesday’s closed vote to win the GOP nomination and become speaker. But when the new Congress convenes and elects the president on January 3, he will need the support of a majority of the entire House (218 votes) to actually take the gavel. It took McCarthy some time 15 rounds of voting In a week-long election to win the gavel in 2023.

Trump further complicated Johnson’s problems and further reduced his numbers by appointing House Republicans to his administration. Trump picked Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., as his nominee for attorney general just before the vote, sending shock waves through the chamber over the choice on the far right.

“Everybody was saying, ‘Oh my God,'” said Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho.

Still, with Trump in the White House, the speaker may see some goodwill from his own ranks for a while, as Republicans are eager to disrupt governing norms and institutionalize Trump’s second-term agenda.

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a Freedom Caucus member, said of Johnson: “The challenges he faces are the same as they always have been.”

But he said: “It will be easier for Trump to deliver while he’s in office.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who last year launched an unsuccessful effort to remove Johnson from the presidential office. He said: “Do you know who you will have to answer to? It was Donald Trump.”

And Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, who wore his “Make America Great Again” tie with Trump’s gold sneakers, told reporters the party needed to put aside the chaos of the past few years and unite behind the president-elect.

“If Donald Trump says, ‘Jump six feet high and scratch your head,’ we’d all jump six feet high and scratch our heads,” Nehls said.

The Conservatives are debating whether to nominate their own candidate as a signal to Johnson while pushing his own priorities, using the same tactic they used with McCarthy to force the speaker to concede, especially on higher budget cuts.

Instead, they pulled Johnson aside for a long private conversation while other MPs watched and waited. It continued into the afternoon.

Simpson, an experienced MP, tired of waiting for the Freedom Caucus’ demands and left.

“This is bullshit,” Simpson said. “Sometimes you can’t do everything our exotic members want to do.”

As Johnson begins the budget process for next year, including using the so-called budget reconciliation process that makes it easier for the unified government to deliver Trump’s agenda to the House and Senate with simple majority votes, conservatives want him to fill those packages with packages of his own. their own policy priorities.

Johnson met with conservatives for a private dinner late Monday evening ahead of the vote.

“We’ll see what happens,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, among conservatives weighing their options.

Democrats, who helped Johnson run Congress multiple times, providing the votes needed to fund the federal government and rebuffing Greene’s effort to oust him, are unlikely to help him in the new year. Take a look at Trump’s agenda.

“House Democrats are ready to work with the new administration and will extend a hand to bipartisanship whenever possible,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, chairman of the Democratic Caucus.

But he said Democrats “will be prepared to oppose efforts” to deprive millions of Americans of health care and other GOP priorities.

It wasn’t just the speaker election on Wednesday, Republicans also re-elected the rest of the House’s top GOP leadership team for the new year.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise, also of Louisiana, and GOP Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota are up for re-election for the leadership.

The No. 4 position, House GOP conference chair, went to Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan. It was the most competitive race for the job, which began following Trump’s decision to appoint New York Rep. Elise Stefanik as ambassador to the United Nations.

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