US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday announced his support for House Speaker Mike Johnson, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
This week, Johnson will run for re-election to the position with a slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
"Mike Johnson is a good, hard-working and religious man. He will do the right thing and we will continue to win. "Mike has my full support," Trump said in a post on his social network "Truth Social".
The House of Representatives is due to elect a speaker on January 3 after the new congressmen are sworn in.
Trump's support is essential to Johnson's hopes of retaining the leadership position he took in October 2023, Reuters notes.
This month, 34 Republicans criticized Johnson's bill, arguing that his proposals favored Democrats. The vote raised questions about whether they would support him in choosing a speaker.
Republicans have a slim majority in the House of Representatives, meaning the vote will depend on whether they can maintain their unity.
Republican Representative Victoria Spartz said on "Fox News" today that she has not made a decision on whether she will support Johnson. According to her, Johnson is afraid to move forward with his proposals for changes to the fiscal legislation because they are an obstacle to implementing Trump's program.
I can give him a chance, but I would like to hear from him how he will implement this program," Spartz told "Fox News" before Trump announced his support for Mike Johnson.