President Donald Trump is staying out of the battle to replace House Speaker Mike Johnson as the Republican leader in the next Congress. Asked Wednesday whether he was endorsing anyone in the House Republican leadership race, Trump made clear that he was keeping his distance.
“We’re staying out of it,” Trump said.
The president nevertheless had warm words for Johnson, calling the outgoing Republican leader “fantastic.”
Asked directly whether he had requested that Johnson step down from his leadership position, Trump gave a one-word answer: “No.”
The remarks come as Republicans face an internal power struggle following their loss of both chambers of Congress to Democrats in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Johnson, who led House Republicans through Trump’s first two years back in the White House, announced Wednesday that he would not seek to become House minority leader when the new Congress convenes in January 2027
His decision immediately opened the door to a contest between House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio.
Scalise vs. Jordan: A Republican Rematch
[ Photo credit: Gage Skidmore]
The Republican leadership race is bringing back two familiar rivals.
Scalise, the current House majority leader, brings years of leadership experience and relationships across the Republican conference. Jordan, a longtime Trump ally and chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, has built his political reputation on confrontational oversight and his ties to the party’s conservative wing.
Both previously sought the speaker’s gavel in 2023, when Republicans struggled to find a replacement for Kevin McCarthy.
Scalise initially defeated Jordan in a secret ballot among Republicans but withdrew after failing to secure enough support to win on the House floor. Jordan’s subsequent bid also collapsed, and Johnson eventually emerged as the compromise candidate.
Now the two men are preparing for another confrontation, this time over who will lead Republicans against an incoming Democratic majority.
The leadership election is scheduled for Nov. 10, with Republican members expected to choose their next leader by secret ballot.
Unlike the election of a House speaker, the Republican minority leadership contest will be decided within the party conference.
Scalise said he will run for the top GOP leadership post in the aftermath of his party’s devastating midterm losses.
In a letter sent to fellow House Republicans, Scalise highlighted the need for unity and a “clear vision and agenda.”
He told his colleagues that they must fight like their life depends on it.
The socialists are coming to Washington with a radical agenda that threatens the America we hold dear. They will stop at nothing to undo the progress we’ve made alongside President Trump over the last two years. The House Republican Conference must be the first line of defense in this crucial battle, and we must fight like our way of life depends on it—because it does.
Jim Jordan is pitching himself as someone who has an experience in oversight and is familiar with the “Democrats’ playbook.”
“To succeed in this fight, we will need to stand united as one team, be smart and strategic to secure conservative policy wins where we can, closely coordinate our defense against aggressive oversight and together develop a clear vision and agenda to earn back the majority in 2028,” said Jordan.
However, Trump has restrained himself from endorsing either of the candidates at least publicly. No one likes a good fight like the president.
Republicans Face a New Washington
Democrats have won back both the House and Senate, positioning Hakeem Jeffries to become speaker and Chuck Schumer to lead the Senate majority. The new Democratic leadership has already signaled that investigations into the Trump administration will be part of its agenda.
Schumer, celebrating the Democratic victory Wednesday, declared that “There’s gotta be some investigation,” while promising to keep affordability and corruption at the center of the party’s governing priorities.
For whoever replaces Johnson, the task will be to unite a defeated Republican conference while confronting a Democratic House determined to exercise its investigative and legislative powers.
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