During the inauguration ceremony at the Capitol outside the Rotunda, President Trump commended House Speaker Mike Johnson and other congressional leaders, specifically highlighting Johnson as a well-liked individual. Trump expressed his admiration for Johnson, stating, 'He’s a man that is liked by everybody. I have never met a man like this.'
Trump also acknowledged the challenges faced by Johnson due to the slim GOP majority in the House, which has been further reduced by members leaving their seats to join the Trump administration. Trump humorously mentioned, 'We gave him a majority of almost nothing, and then I said to make it tougher on him, let me take two or three of the people, right?'
At the beginning of the 119th Congress, Johnson was already dealing with one of the narrowest House majorities in nearly a century. The situation worsened when Mike Waltz, a Florida Republican, resigned from the House to assume the role of Trump’s national security adviser, a position that does not require Senate confirmation.
Furthermore, Trump has nominated GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York as the US ambassador to the United Nations, a nomination that is subject to Senate confirmation. If Stefanik is confirmed as anticipated, the Republicans’ House majority would decrease to 217 to 215.
