Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is still refusing to vote for Mike Johnson (R-LA) as House speaker even after President-elect Donald Trump endorsed him.
A possible defection from Massie comes as the Republican Party has a scant one-vote majority in the House. The new Congress will have its first day of session on Jan. 3, 2025, when a speaker election is also anticipated. A speaker will be needed to certify the 2024 election results on Jan. 6 ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
“I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out, as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan. We’ve seen Johnson partner with the democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget,” Massie wrote on X minutes after Trump’s endorsement.
This was a follow-up X post to Massie’s proclamation that “Mike Johnson is the next Paul Ryan. On January 3rd, 2025, I won’t be voting for Mike Johnson. I hope my colleague will join me because history will not give America another ‘do-over.’”
Massie could be one of as many as three Republicans who will not vote for Johnson to keep his speakership after 14 months. When Kevin McCarthy was ousted as speaker, the Republican Party had 222 votes in the chamber, and it only took eight votes at the time.
“Mike Johnson has had a difficult job the past 14 months. The American people—and President Trump—need a Speaker who can handle the difficult,” Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) wrote on X after Trump’s announcement. He also reposted Massie’s initial post from days ago, in which he promised he would not vote for Johnson.
Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) admitted on Fox News’s Fox & Friends that Johnson has yet to earn her vote for House speaker because he is “not able to govern.” Even after Trump’s endorsement, she stuck by her position, writing, “President Trump will be able to save America only if we have a speaker with courage, vision and a plan — also public commitment to the American people how he will help deliver President Trump’s agenda to drain the swamp.”
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Neither lawmaker has endorsed any other candidate for speaker.
There is also a movement that could lead to Tesla CEO Elon Musk being voted into the speakership. As Musk was born in South Africa, he could not become president per the rule in Article II of the Constitution. However, since he has become a U.S. citizen, he could legally be the next speaker, as the position can be filled by someone not holding congressional office.