The recent battle for House Speaker served as a stark reminder of the significant challenges former President Donald Trump faces in governing, even with Republican control of both the White House and Congress. Despite the GOP’s majority, the margins in both chambers remain razor-thin, forcing Trump to rely on near-unanimous party support or bipartisan cooperation to deliver the sweeping policy changes he has promised voters. This delicate balance is likely to grow even more complicated if the Senate confirms Representatives Mike Waltz of Florida and Elise Stefanik of New York for administration roles, which would further reduce the GOP’s numbers in the House.
House Republicans’ internal struggles since reclaiming the majority in 2022 foreshadow the difficulties ahead. Representative Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma acknowledged the party’s challenges, telling CNN, “Governing is messy sometimes. We’ve proven that not only today but over the last two years. But we’ll get there.”
Trump has already faced limitations in his influence within his party. Before the holiday recess, he was unable to pressure House Republicans into raising the debt ceiling, bringing the government dangerously close to a shutdown. His allies also failed to sway the vote for the next Senate Majority Leader, which was won by South Dakota Senator John Thune, a critic of Trump. Additionally, Trump couldn’t convince Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to appoint his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to Marco Rubio’s Senate seat, as Rubio is set to become Secretary of State. Trump also abandoned his effort to name former Representative Matt Gaetz as Attorney General after strong Senate opposition.
However, Trump’s successful intervention in getting Mike Johnson elected Speaker marked a critical early test of his ability to navigate a sharply divided House where individual lawmakers hold significant power. Former Representative Patrick McHenry, who oversaw the previous speakership battle, admitted the narrow majority would make governing difficult. “It’s going to be a dicey run for this House Republican majority,” McHenry said. “But Johnson’s speakership was enabled by having Donald Trump in office. Without Trump, this vote might have had a different outcome.”
Trump expressed strong confidence in Johnson leading up to the vote, telling CNN that he had no backup candidate in mind if the Louisiana Republican faltered. Johnson’s allies also understood there was no realistic alternative within the party — the only question was how many rounds of voting it would take and how much Trump would have to pressure dissenting lawmakers.
Even as the vote began, uncertainty lingered within GOP leadership. Of the three Republicans who voted against Johnson on the floor, only Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky had previously informed leadership of his opposition. Representative Keith Self’s initial opposition came as a complete surprise to party leaders.
Despite some tensions, Trump and Johnson worked closely together to secure support, even after clashing over a spending bill the previous month. Trump and his team recognized the need to help unify the party ahead of the inauguration to avoid further chaos. House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole of Oklahoma credited Trump’s role, noting, “He had a lot of influence. Last time, we had over 20 Republicans vote against the Speaker on the first ballot. This time, there were only three — and they eventually came around.”
Johnson’s Leadership Approach
Beyond Trump’s influence, Johnson’s approach to securing the speakership was notable for avoiding the typical concessions often made during leadership fights. Unlike his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, who had made extensive compromises to win over hardliners, Johnson stood firm against making promises of plum committee assignments or policy concessions.
Instead, Johnson emphasized his commitment to empowering individual lawmakers within the 119th Congress but did so without making binding deals. “I was already committed to that, so I simply reaffirmed it,” Johnson explained when asked about his strategy for winning over Republican holdouts.
This approach provides Johnson with greater political flexibility moving forward, as he avoided the kind of trade-offs that had weakened McCarthy’s leadership. Johnson’s allies praised his firmness, with Representative Frank Lucas of Oklahoma noting, “When you surrender to your hostage takers, you lose control of your political soul.”
However, this strategy did not stop members of the House Freedom Caucus from pushing for policy demands. Some lawmakers, including Representative Chip Roy of Texas, sought leadership positions or policy promises, such as spending cuts and reforms to the appropriations process. Though Johnson did not concede on key demands, he attempted to balance party interests by proposing a working group to examine spending reforms and pledging a review of government agencies accused of “weaponizing” their authority against the public.
After Johnson secured the gavel, a group of 11 Republican lawmakers released a statement making clear that their support was tied to loyalty to Trump rather than confidence in Johnson’s leadership. “We voted for Johnson because of our steadfast support for President Trump and to ensure the timely certification of his electors,” they wrote, while also citing reservations about Johnson’s leadership track record over the past 15 months.
Moving forward, some conservatives have made it clear they will not rubber-stamp Trump’s entire agenda without serious input. Representative Byron Donalds of Florida, who briefly received votes for Speaker before support shifted to Johnson, reflected this sentiment. “This is just the beginning,” he said. “We still have work to do.”