House Speaker Mike Johnson admitted that Biden’s election was “God’s will,” though he quickly expressed his wish for the country to make better choices in the future.
Clever reporter
Capitol Hill reporter and New Republic contributor Pablo Manríquez asked the House Speaker, “Do you believe that Joe Biden’s presidency is God’s will?” Johnson, a “Bible-believing Christian,” responded with a chuckle, “Oh, I know where you’re going with this.”
Johnson on God’s will
The Speaker of the House, a Republican who has been in Congress since 2016, continued, “A Bible-believing Christian believes what the Bible says, right? The Bible says that God is the one that raises up people in authority. I believe God is sovereign. By the way, so did the founders.”
Free will and better future choices
“It must have been God’s will then. That’s my belief, right, but I think that a nation makes a decision collectively because we’re given the free will to do that, and I think we’re going to make a much better choice as a country coming up in this election cycle. We’re very much looking forward to that regime change,” Johnson concluded.
Shocking admission
The acknowledgment was shocking since Johnson is known as an election denier, which he recently called “nonsense.” In November 2020, he wrote on X, “President Trump called me last night, and I was encouraged to hear his continued resolve to ensure that every LEGAL vote gets properly counted and that all instances of fraud and illegality are investigated and prosecuted.”
Faithful America’s warning
Faithful America, a prominent Christian group recently called Johnson, a Louisana Republican, the “most dangerous Christian nationalist leader” in the government. Speaking to Newsweek, Amanda Tyler, lead organizer of Christians Against Christian Nationalism, said, “In his first act as speaker, Johnson claimed God gave each member of the U.S. House authority. As a Christian, I reject Christian lawmakers using language that alienates and excludes lawmakers and Americans of different faiths from the political process.”
Johnson’s struggles
Johnson has been criticized for some of his past remarks since taking over the third most powerful position in the U.S. government. They include his stance on abortion, LGBTQ rights, and the belief that Earth is six thousand years old.
Bigger challenges
Now, he is facing the same challenges as his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy. The government shutdown is looming, and it is up to Johnson to stop it, which means getting enough votes to pass the funding.
Satisfying far-right lawmakers
Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer agreed on an overall spending level for the appropriations bills, but more must be done. However, after Johnson made a deal with the Democrats, some of the Republicans expressed their disappointment with him.
Lawmakers are whispering
Tim Burchett, GOP lawmaker who voted to remove McCarthy, was asked if he would support outsing Johnson. He said, “We’re talking about it,” but would prefer to get Johnson back to his “conservative roots.” Chip Roy, a Texas lawmaker and a House Freedom Caucus member said that motion to vacate was “on the table.”
Trump’s ally warned Johnson
The former president’s ally Rochelle “Silk” Richardson said Johnson was making “deals with the devil.” The Diamond and Silk account shared on X, “Silk calls out Mike Johnson back door deals with the devil and [Senator] John Fetterman for trying to pull a fast one. ‘Don’t Be Fooled.'”
House Freedom Caucus also commented
Posting on X, the House Freedom Caucus wrote, “The @HouseGOP is planning to pass a short-term spending bill continuing Pelosi levels with Biden policies, to buy time to pass longer-term spending bills at Pelosi levels with Biden policies. This is what surrender looks like.”
“Hard NO”
“Congress holds the power of the purse strings! We MUST start acting on our constitutional duties instead of caving to the special interests of the D.C. Cartel. This reckless spending CANNOT continue. I will be a hard NO to any short-term spending bill,” wrote Matt Rosendale, a lawmaker and member of the Freedom Caucus.
Déjà vu
The New Republic described the deal with Schumer, “Political observers could be forgiven for developing an acute case of déjà vu.” The outlet reminded that Johnson is in a similar position as McCarthy was before he was ousted after serving only nine months as House Speaker.
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