Mike Johnson, Trump's Preferred Candidate, Re-elected as Speaker of the House

Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, was re-elected on the first day of the new session of Congress despite initially facing opposition from at least three Republican representatives. Although the voting for the Speaker of the 119th Congress had not officially concluded on Friday, January 14, shortly after the representatives were sworn in, Johnson managed to change the votes of two representatives and secure his position. According to Reuters, the initial opposition to him could be an early sign of the Republican Party's inability to remain united in pursuing Trump's policies on tax cuts, border protection, and immigration control. The dissent from some Republican representatives also challenged the authority of the U.S. President in Congress, especially since several members of the party had previously shown no fear of opposing the elected president. After weeks of uncertainty, Johnson was able to gain Trump's approval. The elected president of the United States stated on Friday that Johnson's victory is 'a great win for the Republican Party.' This comes as the Republicans have suffered from internal conflicts in the House over the past two years. Johnson was appointed to this position last November following the ousting of Kevin McCarthy, the former Speaker, by his own party members during his term. For McCarthy's election in 2023, 15 rounds of voting took place over three days, but he subsequently lost the position due to Republican votes. In this session of the House, following the elections in November, the Republican Party entered the legislature with 220 representatives and the Democratic Party with 215. This is the most fragile majority of one of the two main parties in the House in the last century. Following Matt Gaetz's resignation, the Republican majority over the Democrats decreased to 219 to 215, and with the selection of two Republican members of the House for Trump's cabinet, the majority became even more fragile at 217 to 215. To be elected as Speaker of the House, a candidate must obtain a majority of the total votes. While all Democratic representatives voted for Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of their party in the House, the final vote ended 218 to 215 in favor of Johnson, securing him the position of Speaker of the House.