United States President-elect Donald Trump has endorsed Mike Johnson’s continued leadership in the House of Representatives, in an apparent attempt to reduce Republican discord in the new year.

In a post on his online platform Truth Social on Monday, Trump appealed to his Make America Great Again (MAGA) base to rally support for Johnson, who currently serves as Speaker of the House.

“Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard-working religious man. He’ll do the right thing, and we’ll keep winning. Mike has my full and complete endorsement. MAGA!!! Trump books.

But the road ahead for Johnson is likely to be fraught with danger. On January 3, the new Congress will convene, following the general elections that took place in November. Republicans are preparing for a tense showdown over who will be voted in as the new Speaker of the House, the highest-ranking official in the House.

Johnson is the most likely candidate, as current Speaker of the Council. But his role in passing a last-minute budget bill earlier this month exposed divisions in the Republican caucus — and a potential backlash to his leadership.

Johnson, a representative from Louisiana known for his socially conservative policies, will need all the Republican votes he can muster to hold on to the speaker’s gavel.

When the 119th Congress convenes, Republicans will claim one of the smallest House majorities in modern history. They will have 219 seats in the House of Representatives out of 435, giving them barely more than 50 percent of the House’s votes.

Democrats usually cast their votes to choose a House leader from their party. As a result, even a handful of opposition Republicans could cost Johnson the House Speaker’s gavel.

Indeed, many Republican members of the House of Representatives have expressed their opposition to Johnson’s leadership. For example, Thomas Massie of Kentucky said loudly that he would not cast his vote for Louisiana’s representative.

“I’m going to vote for someone other than Mike Johnson,” Massey said he wrote on social media On December 27. “A weak legislature, beholden to the swamp, will not be able to fulfill the mandate voters gave Trump and Congress in November.”

Part of the reason for the disagreement lies in Johnson’s support for the budget bill that was ultimately agreed upon by both parties I fell into law on December 21, to avoid a government shutdown during the holiday season.

Many Republicans opposed the measure because it failed to curb spending. Others, including Massey, Express Concern that an early version of the bill contains over-budget provisions. They called for a “clean” budget bill instead.

Then there was the omission of a key priority made by Trump himself. Trump had called for the budget bill to contain language to extend or eliminate the debt ceiling, limiting the amount the federal government can borrow.

Traditionally, the federal budget is negotiated separately from the debt ceiling. But on social media, Trump called for debt ceiling negotiations to take place under outgoing President Joe Biden, a Democrat, rather than under his incoming administration.

Under the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, the debt ceiling is suspended until January 1, 2025.

But Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has already warned that the federal government could reach its borrowing limit by the middle of that month, limiting its ability to pay its bills and potentially affecting the country’s credit rating.

Trump himself is scheduled to take office for a second term on January 20. He has described the debt ceiling as a “guillotine” hanging over his administration.

In the end, Budget bill led by Johnson It passed without the debt ceiling legislation that Trump had demanded.

Such controversies have cost at least one previous speaker his seat. Johnson’s predecessor, former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, also oversaw passage of a bipartisan budget bill that was controversial on his party’s right wing.

That sparked retaliation against McCarthy’s leadership in October 2023. Members of the Freedom Caucus, a coalition of powerful conservatives, banded together to oust McCarthy as Speaker in a historic vote. Marking the first time One speaker was removed by motion to vacate his seat.

But the decision plunged the House Republican Caucus into weeks of chaos, as party members struggled to find a new leader. It was Johnson Not the first choice: He was the fourth candidate to be put forward for the position.

Since then, Johnson has faced A Similar effort to abandon Who is speaking.

However, Trump on Monday sought to distance the GOP from those past turmoil. In his social media post, he instead tried to paint Democrats as the party of contention.

“We are the party of common sense, which is the main reason we won,” Trump wrote.

He then repeated false claims about election fraud, this time focusing on House races in states like California. “The win was achieved with ease, calm and professionalism.”

For his part, Johnson thanked Trump for his support as he seeks a second full year as speaker.

“Thank you President Trump! I am honored and humbled by your support, as always books On social media. He also offered his support for Trump’s agenda for a second term.

He added: “Together, we will quickly achieve the America First agenda and usher in America’s new golden age. The American people demand and deserve that we waste no time. Let’s get to work!”

However, the question remains whether Trump’s endorsement will be decisive in the upcoming vote. Massie has already confirmed that Johnson will not get his vote, regardless of what Trump says.

“I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson will affect his endorsement of House Speaker Paul Ryan,” Massie said. books on social media, referring to a former Speaker of the House of Representatives who is supported by Trump.

Massie warned that Johnson could pave the way for Democratic priorities and more rampant government spending, as he accused Ryan of doing. “We’ve seen Johnson partner with Democrats to send money to Ukraine, allow spying on Americans, and blow the budget.”