Marjorie Taylor Green — a staunch Trump ally and Republican congresswoman from Georgia — stood in the middle of the House chamber, shortly after Mike Johnson’s two votes to retain the House speakership on Friday. And speak carefully. His mobile phone
Although he covered the device with his hand, Evelyn Hochstein, a keen Reuters photographer, picked up the name of the person on the other end of the conversation – incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
It was a clear sign that President-elect Donald Trump was taking an immense interest in the vote. Trump enthusiastically endorsed Johnson as speaker for the upcoming session of Congress earlier this week, and a first-round defeat would have been embarrassing.
Behind the scenes, however, the wheels were turning furiously – creating a chaotic atmosphere in the House after Johnson initially appeared headed for at least a temporary defeat.
At one point, Johnson walked out of the chamber, followed by two men who had opposed him, Ralph Norman of North Carolina and Keith Self of Texas. Meanwhile, other House members and their families mingled and chatted, waiting to see what happened next.
When Johnson finally returned, they were all smiles.
Republican sources told news outlets including Politico that Trump himself had directly appealed to Norman and Self to support Johnson in a speakerphone conversation.
Because the vote was not officially declared closed, Norman and Self were able to switch their votes to Louisiana, putting it just short of the 218 needed to retain the Speaker’s caucus. Congressman Thomas Massey of Kentucky was the lone Republican holdout.
Both Norman and Self told reporters after the vote that they had spoken with Trump during the day.
Norman said he spoke to Trump twice on Friday. The first was during a several-minute phone call when fellow Republican Nancy Mays handed him her phone and the president-elect was on the other line.
The second time was a longer, 15-minute call involving Norman, Johnson and Self, they said, without confirming the exact time.
“Trump was absolutely right when he told me that Mike was the one with the likability factor,” Norman said.
He described Trump as “enthusiastic” about the Republican trifecta in Washington — control of the House, Senate and presidency.
“I said, ‘I agree with you, Mr. President, I’m just hoping Mike’s got the oomph to pull this off,'” Norman said.
He also said that he spoke to Trump several times on Friday.
“We talked about the whole process,” he said of his conversation with the president-elect.
Ultimately, embarrassment was avoided — even if Trump publicly appeared more focused on other things.
During the vote, as House members were called alphabetically, the president-elect took to social media to complain about the prospect of American flags being flown at half-staff for his inauguration on Jan. 20. Will – a part of the traditional. Mourning after the death of former President Jimmy Carter.
Friday afternoon’s action underscores just how vulnerable the Republican majority in the House of Representatives will be over the coming months.
In addition to the three early Republican votes against Johnson, five more hardline conservatives — who have objected to Johnson’s compromises with Democrats in the past — delayed casting their votes during the initial roll call. While they eventually relented, it was a very clear shot across the speaker’s bow.
After the final vote, the House Freedom Caucus — some of whom were involved in the temporary holdout — released a statement saying they ultimately backed Johnson because of his support for Trump.
“We did so despite our sincere concerns about the Speaker’s track record over the past 15 months,” he wrote.
Currently, the party holds a 219 to 215 lead over Democrats — but that could shrink to two if Congresswomen Elise Stefanik of New York and Michelle Waltz of Florida offer Trump administration jobs. It will be months before his replacement is determined in a special election.
That means Trump will have to hold his entire House Republican membership together if he wants to pass key pieces of his legislative agenda early in his presidency, including tougher immigration reform, new tariffs, and Cut taxes and spending.
As Friday demonstrated, that can be a tall order.
Additional reporting from Rachel Luker