Evening Report — Trump endorses Johnson. Will it be enough?

©  AP

President–elect Trump has fully endorsed Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) ahead of the Speaker vote set for Friday.

“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 Truth Social post.

Trump’s endorsement is a huge win for Johnson, and its timing appeared set to cut off public criticism of Johnson.

Some Republicans over the last 10 days had been putting out tweets that suggested their support for Johnson was in doubt, or giving interviews that suggested he’d need to do more to win their support.

Now any Republican thinking about sending out such a missive would be doing so knowing the leader of the party, and the most popular and powerful GOP figure in the country, wants Johnson where he is.

That’s not to say Johnson is in the clear.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said he’s not backing Johnson, and he didn’t seem to change his tune after Trump’s message on Truth Social.

Massie said he respected Trump’s position, but also called Johnson a “potato.”

“For months Democrats ignored the fact that Joe Biden was a potato. They convinced themselves that keeping him around was the pragmatic way to win the day. Too late did they admit the emperor had no clothes. Republicans are doing the same thing by keeping Speaker Mike Johnson,” Massie wrote.

Johnson’s future as Speaker has been on shaky ground following GOP infighting earlier this month as Congress raced to pass a government funding bill and avoid a shutdown.

Trump ally Elon Musk criticized the spending bill Johnson was putting forward. Then Trump demanded a debt ceiling hike be included as part of the measure.

Johnson ended up pulling his legislation in favor of a stripped down version that included a debt ceiling hike, but that measure was voted down by House Democrats and dozens of Republican lawmakers.

None of that made Johnson look good, but Musk also threw his support behind the Speaker on Monday.

A few lawmakers aren’t sure Trump’s social media effort was enough. 

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) urged President-elect Trump on Monday to speak with House Republicans and urge them to keep Johnson as Speaker, warning any delay could “delay the certification of President Trump’s election” or lead to a repeat of last year’s Speaker fight over former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). 

“I strongly encourage Donald Trump to get on the phone with those five or six members who won’t commit to voting for Mike Johnson because all this is going to do is delay us,” Comer said in a Sunday interview on Fox News.

The math for Johnson is difficult, as The Hill’s Emily Brooks pointed out in a piece on Monday afternoon.

If Massie votes against Johnson, the current Speaker can not afford a single other defection of everyone else in the House is present. It gets more complicated, but not necessarily easier, if some GOP lawmakers vote “present.”

Democrats are expected to be unified.

Will Republicans unify behind Trump?

Johnson’s odds were looking much better Tuesday afternoon, but even Trump can have trouble wrangling the cats of the House GOP conference. 

TAKING THE TEMPERATURE

Yea

“Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, is doing an extraordinary job. I tell everybody, I was a pretty effective Speaker. I could never do his job. He has no margins. Any two or three members can rebel at any moment,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said during a radio interview Monday.

 “Yes, and yes … The fact is that Mike Johnson inherited a disaster when Matt Gaetz and several of my colleagues teamed up with 208 Democrats to remove Kevin McCarthy, which will go down as the single stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in politics,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said when asked if Johnson would and should be reelected as Speaker.

Nay

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said earlier this month that he won’t support Johnson’s reelection, citing “all the grievances I had this summer, when we tried to vacate. And then this [continuing resolution].”

Maybe

“Right now, I think that Mike has done an admirable job under tough conditions, but I’m going to keep my options open. I want to have a conversation with Mike,” Rep. Scott Perry (Pa.), a former chair of the House Freedom Caucus, said.

💡Perspectives:

• How to make a government shutdown impossible (The Hill op-ed) 

• The greatest political comeback in history (The Hill op-ed) 

Read more: 

• McHenry jokes sister sent him ‘the cruelest things’ about him on the internet after famous gavel slam

Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Emily Martin, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

• A plane crash in South Korea killed nearly all 181 people on board Sunday. 
  

   

• A federal appeals court panel upheld a verdict that found President-elect Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll.

   

• Warren Upton, the oldest living survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor, died last week at age 105. 

©  AP

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, died over the weekend, according to the Carter Center. He was 100.

Carter, a former peanut farmer from Georgia, had been in hospice since February 2023 and was the nation’s longest living former president.

He served as governor of Georgia from 1971-1975 before being elected president.

His time as president was widely seen as a failure, and he lost his reelection bid to Ronald Reagan in 1980.

Some defining moments from his presidency include:

• The Camp David Accords

• High inflation

• Olympic boycott

• Creation of the Department of Education

• The Iranian hostage crisis

Read more about the 5 defining moments of his presidency here

Much of his life postpresidency was focused on reshaping his legacy, as he and his wife Rosalynn Carter spent their time advocating for peace, democracy and human rights. The former president was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”

In Photos: Jimmy Carter

Lawmakers across both aisles offered condolences following Carter’s death:

“[Carter] was a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism. We will always cherish seeing him and Rosalynn together. The love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism.” President Biden said in a statement.

“I had the privilege of knowing President Carter for years. … I will always remember his kindness, wisdom and profound grace,” Vice President Harris said. 

“The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude,” President-elect Trump said in a post on Truth Social. 

“Jimmy Carter dedicated his life to serving this country. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones. May he Rest in Peace,” Vice President-elect JD Vance said on social platform X.

For more reactions to the death of Jimmy Carter, read here.

💡Perspectives:

• Jimmy Carter had a second term. It just wasn’t in the White House. (Los Angeles Times)

• America needs more Jimmy Carters (The New York Times)

• Jimmy Carter followed his principles, not popular politics (The Washington Post)

• Randall Balmer: Jimmy Carter’s election was a high point in resurgence of progressive evangelicals (The Chicago Tribune)

Read more: 

• How long will flags fly at half-staff for Jimmy Carter?

• Carter to be honored with events in Georgia, Washington

• How Jimmy Carter’s marriage to Rosalynn Carter helped shape his legacy

• What we know about Jimmy Carter funeral plans

©  The Hill, Greg Nash

RFK Jr. vs. Oz sets up clash on weight loss drug coverage — “Two of President-elect Trump’s top health nominees are on a collision course as the incoming administration faces a crucial decision on coverage for groundbreaking anti-obesity drugs.” (The Hill)

What’s next for Texas? 4 major questions looming for the divided state in 2025 — “Texas is facing a tumultuous 2025, as simmering feuds within the state’s ruling coalition are poised to boil over during its coming legislative session.” (The Hill)

Norovirus outbreaks surging across the US: CDC data — “Norovirus cases are surging across the country this winter, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. There were 91 outbreaks reported by state health departments during the week of Dec. 5, up from 69 in the last week of November, according to the CDC.” (The Hill)

North Korea’s Kim vows the toughest anti-US policy before Trump takes office — “North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to implement the ‘toughest’ anti-U.S. policy, state media reported Sunday, less than a month before Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president.” (AP)

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