Trump Lets Mike Johnson Twist in the Wind

Playbook: “A week has now passed since Congress cleared a government funding bill that ignored Trump’s central demand of Johnson — a debt ceiling increase. And with just six days until the House votes on the next speaker, Trump has been conspicuously silent on Johnson’s fate.”

“Why does that matter? Because a host of MAGA voices have filled the void to suggest that Johnson isn’t the right leader for the House GOP. It’s not just the debt-ceiling faceplant. It’s also the deal Johnson cut with Democrats (and later withdrew) that sent Elon Musk and many other Trump allies into a rage.”

“So how to interpret Trump’s silence? If Johnson is feeling optimistic, he can lean on the fact that Trump has backed him for months and if he truly wanted a change to House leadership he might have said so at any time. (Or he might have sent another message, like not inviting Johnson on a whirlwind post-election weekend or to his box at the Army-Navy football game earlier this month.)”