Rep. Matt Gaetz lauded the election of Mike Johnson as House Speaker, saying that it shows the strength of the Republican Party and the success of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) campaign. Johnson, the fourth nominee for speaker, was elected by Republicans on Wednesday with a perfect vote. It had been three weeks since Gaetz’s motion to vacate had resulted in Kevin McCarthy’s ouster as Speaker. Gaetz had claimed a lack of trust as the basis for McCarthy’s removal.
During an appearance on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast, Gaetz assured the host that Johnson was “smart” and a good choice. He said that the new speaker would be just as well received in the homes of the most significant, righteous, and patriotic donors as he would be at rallies with the most enthusiastic and influential activists. He promised an “aggressive pace” for House proceedings in the days and weeks ahead.
Mike Johnson’s elevation to the US House of Representatives indicates Donald Trump dominates the Republican party and “Maga is rising,” using an abbreviation for Trump’s campaign slogan, Make America Great Again. He did note, however, that Gaetz’s ouster of McCarthy this month caused three weeks of leaderless instability inside the Republican party and the House. But stability has returned.
Johnson has been a relatively low-profile legislator from Louisiana who was an instrumental figure in Trump’s bid to overturn the 2020 election. The left feels his policy stances and history as a lawyer for anti-LGBTQ+ and creationist causes put Gaetz’s preferred speaker on the far right of the party.
A committed rabble-rouser, Gaetz is reportedly eyeing a run for governor of Florida despite being the subject of a House ethics probe for sexual misconduct and abuse of money. When asked about Gaetz’s claim that “Maga is ascendant,” Jeff Timmer, a former Republican operative and current consultant to the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, responded, “It’s strange to say, but Matt Gaetz is right about this.”
