Former President Trump defended Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for bringing additional aid for Ukraine and other national security priorities to a vote in the House, despite criticism from conservatives.
In his first remarks since the national security funding package was approved by the House. approved by the House with bipartisan support on Saturday, Trump told conservative radio host Chris Stigall that Johnson faced challenges due to the GOP’s extremely narrow majority.
“Remember, the Speakership we’re talking about has, you know, we’re a majority by one. One vote,” Trump said, citing the dwindling majority due to various lawmaker resignations.
“And you can’t really get too tough when — Look, we all want to be tough guys and all, and I have a lot of friends, and frankly I have friends on both sides,” Trump continued. “You know, if you look at the vote, a lot of Republicans, a lot of good Republicans, voted for it. But Mike is in there and he’s trying, and some people were disappointed, and a lot of people were very disappointed that nothing happened with the border. I’ll straighten out the border.”
The discussion on whether to move ahead with a series of bills to provide billions in aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, and humanitarian aid to those in the Middle East, caused division among House Republicans. split House Republicans and led some of Trump's allies in the chamber to call for Johnson’s removal as Speaker.
Johnson ultimately resisted his conservative critics and brought a series of four bills providing overseas assistance to the floor. However, he separated those funds from a separate border security bill, which was unsuccessful during the Saturday votes. He presented the aid as an essential continuation of America’s duty to democratic allies facing threats.
The package, which more than 100 House Republicans opposed, included approximately $61 billion for Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel, $8 billion for allies in the Indo-Pacific, and additional national security measures, including a potential ban on the popular TikTok app. The bills still need to pass the Senate before reaching President Biden’s desk.
Earlier this month, Trump expressed his support for the embattled Speaker, Johnson, when Johnson visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Johnson is facing criticism from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a staunch ally of the former president.
Greene filed a motion to remove Johnson from his position last month, which was endorsed by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) last week. However, she has not indicated when she might initiate the motion. not yet said when she might trigger the motion, however.
