Free Republic

As we gathered for our meeting at the White House yesterday, JD Vance mentioned to us that he had never before visited the Oval Office. I told him and President Trump that I HAD to capture the moment on video. Only in America can a hardworking young man from Appalachia rise from his humble circumstances to enter the Oval for first time as VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. What a country! 🇺🇸

The FP is in our nation’s capital for the inauguration—and we’re talking to everyone with skin in the game. Today, hear Bari Weiss in conversation with Speaker Mike Johnson on the future of America under Donald Trump's second administration. Stay tuned for more conversations from "The Free Press in D.C." Presented by Uber and X.

During a one-on-one meeting, Speaker Johnson asked President Biden why he paused LNG exports to Europe, says Biden was completely unaware he had done so.The United States hasn't had a president for four years.Johnson says Biden was completely unaware of an executive order he signed. The comments from Johnson came during an interview with Bari Weiss.Johnson said after fighting for 9 weeks with Biden's staff, he was finally able to get a meeting with the president.When he arrived, Johnson says he was "ambushed" by Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries.Biden, who apparently didn't know what was going on, asked...

NEW: During a one-on-one meeting, Speaker Johnson asked President Biden why he paused LNG exports to Europe, says Biden was completely unaware he had done so. The United States hasn't had a president for four years. Johnson says Biden was completely unaware of an executive order he signed. The comments from Johnson came during an interview with @bariweiss Johnson said after fighting for 9 weeks with Biden's staff, he was finally able to get a meeting with the president. When he arrived, Johnson says he was "ambushed" by Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries. Biden, who apparently didn't know...

Trump isn’t interested in making America great again for 48 months. He means to course correct the U.S. Last week, Mike Johnson was re-elected as a speaker. Just a couple of votes against Johnson could have denied him a first ballot win -- or aced him out entirely. Another drawn-out, multi-ballot fight for the speakership would have been a needless distraction for president-elect Trump. Trump means to get out of the gate running. So, he stepped in. He made the difference. He worked the phones and whipped wobbly Republicans into line, ensuring Johnson a bare majority victory. Art of the...

The newly installed House, led by Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.), is set to vote Thursday on legislation that would sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, over efforts to arrest Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to lawmakers and congressional sources briefed on the matter.The legislation first passed the House in June with support from Republicans and 42 Democrats, but then-Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) did not bring it to the floor of the upper chamber for a vote. Its resurgence comes weeks after top Republicans—both in Congress and in the incoming...

On Saturday's edition of MSNBC's The Weekend, the co-hosts did what they could do downplay and dump on the magnitude of Mike Johnson's first-ballot election as Speaker of the House, and on Trump's contribution to that victory. But panelists Julie Tsirkin and Eugene Daniels showed some surprising independence. Co-host Symone Sanders portrayed Trump's call to House holdouts as "slapdash." And co-host Michael Steele claimed Trump had to be persuaded to "come in off the back nine" to make the call. But NBC News correspondent Tsirkin said that Trump actually made two calls, during which he made the case that Johnson...

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson was elected Speaker of the House for the 119th Congress after two GOP holdouts decided to change their votes before the second round of voting was set to begin. Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Keith Self (R-Texas) changed their votes after having initially voted for other candidates, leaving the Louisiana rep two votes short of clinching the speakership.

Speaker-designate Mike Johnson, R-La., was re-elected to lead the House of Representatives on Friday. The Louisiana Republican won along party lines during the first round of voting, a stark contrast to his predecessor’s drawn-out, 15-round battle in 2023. It comes despite saber-rattling by some conservatives who threatened to withhold support from Johnson in protest of his handling of government funding and several other issues in the 118th Congress.

With the nation's focus rightly on the terrorist attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas, and with what appears to be a gang shootout at a nightclub in Queens, the vote for the first domino to fall in a series of changes from the outgoing Biden administration to the incoming Trump administration takes place at Noon Eastern on Friday. Sure, Inauguration Day is on the 20th, and that promises to a Day One for the ages. But don't forget January 6th, which is when the House certifies the election results, putting President-Elect Donald Trump and Vice-President-Elect J.D. Vance on the...

Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries says far-right Georgia congresswoman’s motion to oust Mike Johnson ‘will not succeed’ Democratic leaders in the US House of Representatives vowed that the Georgia extremist Marjorie Taylor Greene “will not succeed” if she triggers an attempt to remove the Republican speaker, Mike Johnson, from his role. ...

John Solomon @jsolomonReports Massie continues criticism of Johnson, warning he will cost GOP its majority if he stays speaker From justthenews.com 6:01 PM · Dec 31, 2024

President-elect Trump offered his complete and total endorsement of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday, days before a House vote on Friday to elect a new Speaker. “Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. Trump’s public endorsement could be a key to a win by Johnson, who can only afford a handful of GOP defections and be elected Speaker. Anger from GOP members about how Johnson has handled various...

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: We are the Party of COMMON SENSE, a primary reason that we WON, in a landslide, the magnificent and historic Presidential Election of 2024. ALL SEVEN SWING STATES, 312 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES, AND THE POPULAR VOTE BY MILLIONS OF VOTERS (Despite large scale voter fraud taking place in numerous states, including California, where votes are ridiculously still being counted, or under review!), ALL WON WITH EASE, CALM, & PROFESSIONALISM. Republicans are being praised for having run a “legendary” campaign! Democrats are being excoriated for their effort, having wasted 2.5 Billion Dollars, much of it unaccounted for,...

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) posted a poll on X early Wednesday morning, asking users on the platform if failed House Speaker Mike Johnson should be reelected to serve another term as Speaker on January 3, 2025. Poll respondents, most of whom are likely Republican voters, overwhelmingly called for Johnson to be removed from leadership. This comes after Mike Johnson caved and made a backroom deal with Democrats late Friday on a government funding bill, which President Trump previously made several demands for. Trump’s orders were not followed after Johnson’s betrayal. ..... Snip..... Massie asked X users if members should vote...

The House subcommittee investigating former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) partisan January 6 Special Committee “interviewed hundreds of witnesses,” but testimony from the most notorious star of Pelosi’s hearings is conspicuously absent from its report. The subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), issued an interim report December 17, 2024, calling former White House employee Cassidy Hutchison the Pelosi “Select Committee’s star witness.” But despite the subcommittee “interview[ing] hundreds of witnesses,” the committee’s report makes no reference to bringing in Hutchinson for questioning – despite mentioning her by name 268 times. According to a source, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) personally intervened...

House Speaker Mike Johnson will have to work the phones over the holidays in a bid to avoid losing the gavel in January after some hard-right lawmakers denounced his handling of recent spending negotiations. Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, is in hot water with at least a handful of Republicans who could block his reelection to speaker on Jan. 3 by voting for another candidate. The move could leave the speaker’s chair empty for days or more as House Republicans search for a replacement who can win nearly every vote in a razor-thin GOP majority. It would prevent the House from...

House Democrats are sending an early warning signal to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) that he shouldn't count on them to rescue him again. Why it matters: Johnson will have the barest of majorities next year — and he's staring down growing unrest within the Republican conference. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has said he will vote against Johnson's reelection as speaker on Jan. 3, with several other Republicans saying they are undecided. With a majority as narrow as 219-215, Johnson may only be able to afford to lose one vote. State of play: Johnson last week abandoned a federal funding package...

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) granted an interview to establishment media only “a few hours after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) attempt to oust him” to trash Donald Trump — the man Johnson conveniently clung to when his speakership hung in the balance. Johnson sat down for an extensive “deep dive” interview Wednesday night with Politico so quickly after the vote to end his speakership that Johnson claimed he was not even aware which eleven Republicans voted against him. In what Politico called an “SNL-worthy” send up, Johnson used the interview to caricature Trump praising Johnson: Johnson was impersonating Donald Trump...

House Speaker Mike Johnson is reportedly not in good graces with President-elect Donald Trump. Johnson needs Trump’s support to keep the gavel on January 3, the day House Republicans will have an option to renew or cancel his speakership. Johnson appears on the outs with Trump due to his decision last week to try to pass a massive continuing resolution, filled with pork and at Democrat-raised spending levels. Trump torpedoed the measure and demanded a smaller bill with a debt level extension. Johnson’s response was to pass a bill without a debt level extension that only kept the government open...