Rep. Chip Roy-Speaker Johnson Doesn't Have Votes Even After Trump Endorsement

In an interview on Tuesday, Texas Representative Chip Roy expressed doubts about Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson's ability to retain his position as House Speaker. Roy indicated he has not yet decided whom he will support for the role, citing last year's shortcomings that could hinder the execution of the president's agenda.

On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Johnson, but with the House's slim Republican majority, Johnson can only afford one defection when Congress votes for a new speaker on Friday. Roy stated, "I don't believe he has the votes on Friday."

Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie has explicitly stated he will not back Johnson, while Representatives Andy Harris (Maryland), Andy Biggs (Arizona), Victoria Spartz (Indiana), and Scott Perry (Pennsylvania) remain undecided. Roy suggested considering Florida Representative Byron Donalds and Ohio Representative Jim Jordan as potential alternatives. He described both as friends and capable, having nominated Donalds previously. Despite this, both Jordan and Donalds have voiced their support for Johnson.

Roy acknowledged Trump's endorsement but raised concerns about Johnson's handling of recent legislation, particularly criticizing the process of passing an end-of-year spending bill. "We didn't have time to read a bill. We had to have Elon [Musk] and Vivek [Ramaswamy] and the president and JD [Vance] come in to kill a 1,500-page monstrosity, cut it down to 100 pages," Roy remarked, emphasizing the bill still resulted in $110 billion in unfunded spending. He warned that this could be a preview of future issues unless the Republican conference organizes effectively to serve the American public. Roy also stressed the importance of reducing spending to combat inflation and improve the affordability of living in the U.S.