House Speaker Mike Johnson is scheduled to make an appearance at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort on Friday for a joint event, aiming to solidify conservative support and defend his speakership against a challenge from GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
Greene has issued a warning that she intends to push for a vote to remove Johnson from his position, citing concerns over government spending and aid to Ukraine. However, as of now, no other House Republicans have joined her in this effort. Johnson won the speakership by a narrow margin last year, and with the Republicans holding a slim majority in the House, a single member could potentially trigger a vote to oust him, a rule that was established by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during his brief tenure.
Johnson and Trump are expected to speak on Friday afternoon at Mar-a-Lago on the topic of "election integrity." Despite his defeat in the 2020 election, Trump continues to assert baseless claims of voter fraud.
In response to the event, the Biden campaign released a statement from Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chair of the House committee that probed the January 6th assault on the Capitol, denouncing Trump as "a threat to our democracy and a danger to our Constitution."
"Thompson accused Donald Trump and Mike Johnson of prioritizing Trump's campaign of revenge over election integrity," stated Thompson.
While back in Washington, Greene has not disclosed a timeline for potentially pushing a vote on Johnson's removal. This opposition arises as Johnson faces increasing pressure to call for a vote on providing more aid to Ukraine, a move strongly opposed by Greene. Greene reiterated her stance in a letter this week.
Johnson, speaking to the Christian Broadcasting Network earlier this week, expressed that he holds no animosity towards Marjorie. However, he emphasized that a Congressional stalemate is detrimental to the Republican Party and Trump's potential for 2024. The House came to a standstill for weeks following McCarthy's removal in the autumn.
"We need to show the American people that we can maintain stability," he conveyed to CBN. "Initiating a motion to remove the speaker at this time would be counterproductive. Shutting down Congress would only backfire on us. It would damage our chances of expanding our majority, supporting our party, or enhancing President Trump's reelection prospects, as our destinies are somewhat intertwined."
Johnson's journey to Mar-a-Lago echoes McCarthy's trip to Mar-a-Lago following the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, putting members of Congress and Vice President Mike Pence at risk. Initially, McCarthy held Trump responsible for the riot, but later sought Trump's backing to secure the position of speaker.
