President-elect Donald Trump said he is willing to make calls to lawmakers to drum up support for Mike Johnson should there be a risk to his speakership ahead of a vote expected Friday on Capitol Hill.
Speaking briefly with reporters outside of a New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago, the president-elect reaffirmed his support for the Louisiana Republican after his formal endorsement on Monday, saying “he’s the one that can win right now.” The boost of support comes as Johnson’s path to retaining the speakership is tenuous. With the expected makeup of Congress on Friday, he can only have two Republican defections — and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has already indicated he would oppose Johnson.
Trump also said he would attend former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral. Trump had previously called Carter a “forgotten president” and a “terrible president,” but more recently changed his tune on his late predecessor. In a post on Truth Social after news broke of Carter’s death on Sunday, Trump wrote, “[H]e did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Trump declined to say if he had spoken to Carter’s family members.
