WASHINGTON – House Speaker Mike Johnson will travel to Mar-a-Lago on Friday to discuss “election integrity” with former President Donald Trump, two sources with direct knowledge of the plans confirmed to NBC News.
Asked by NBC News what he would focus on at his press conference with Trump, Johnson said, “You’ll have to see. … I’m looking forward to going down there.”
Asked to elaborate on the “integrity of the election,” Johnson said “free and fair elections.”
He announced the planned remarks first CNN. The House of Representatives will be in session on Friday, but the vote is expected to take place in the morning.
Johnson, R-La., will meet with Trump on Friday. he faces threats to his job from the right side and control over his handling of difficult issues a military aid package that has been withheld for months despite a small Republican majority, including a promise to pass new Ukrainian aid to Ukraine and other US allies.
Johnson is under intense pressure from another Trump ally, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who has threatened to force a vote on a proposal to impeach the speaker over Ukraine funding. Greene, who argued that congressional attention and funding should be focused on the southern border rather than Ukraine, last month He filed a “motion to vacate” to remove Johnson from office but had difficulty forcing a vote to remove him from office.
A former Republican congressional aide said the meeting at Mar-a-Lago could send a message to Green that Johnson is close to Trump and supports Trump’s continued leadership of the House GOP. “It seems to be more about the softening of the discharge action than anything else,” said a former aide.
Before Johnson was elected speaker of the House of Representatives, he reinforced Trump’s false allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, and made legal efforts invalidating President Joe Biden’s election victory. In December 2020, Johnson became a Amicus brief signed by more than 100 House Republicans support for a Texas court seeking to overturn Biden’s victories in four battleground states.
Johnson endorsed Trump in November, not long after the speaker’s gavel.
In the House speaker race last year, Trump appeared to strengthen Johnson’s bid, although he did not publicly announce his endorsement. post To the Truth Social platform, “My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, and RUN IT FAST!”
Days after announcing his support for Trump, Johnson met with the former president Rep. At a fundraiser for Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla. in Mar-a-Lago, Florida in November.
Kyle Stewart contributed.