Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) led a failed effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson earlier this year. Democrats ended up saving his job.
Greene has accused Johnson of having “aided and abetted the Democrats and the Biden administration in destroying our country”; slammed the speaker for failing to shut down the federal government to win an election-year fight with Democrats; suggested Johnson is part of the “Make Ukraine Great Again” movement and generally bashed the Louisiana Republican as a weak and ineffective leader.
Yet now, less than seven months later and with a subcommittee gavel soon-to-be in hand, the MAGA firebrand is expected to support Johnson’s reelection as speaker come January, according to multiple GOP sources familiar with Greene’s thinking.
What changed? Donald Trump winning the White House.
The support from Greene, a top Trump ally, is just the latest sign that Johnson is likely to encounter little Republican resistance in his quest for 218 votes on the House floor on Jan. 3.
The 52-year-old Johnson came into the job by default during an extremely chaotic chapter in the House Republican Conference’s history. Johnson has had his missteps and tough floor fights along the way, including the clash over Ukraine funding. Greene and 10 other hardline conservatives voted to remove Johnson from office after that, only to have Democrats bail him out.
Yet after more than a year in the speaker’s office and a successful election, Republicans across the conference believe Johnson has earned the gavel.
More importantly, that also includes Trump, who was initially unsure of what to make of Johnson and his accidental accession into the role, according to sources close to Trump. Now Trump holds a level of respect for the speaker and has spoken glowingly of Johnson, who was by his side all last weekend.
Trump’s approval is largely driving the overwhelming desire by House Republicans — including Greene — to unite behind Johnson and avoid a drawn-out speaker’s fight that could distract from Trump’s agenda next year.
“Trump obviously supports him,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy but has been supportive of Johnson. “[Trump’s] the big dog in the town, and nobody wants to tangle with him.”
Inside the effort to woo MTG: Aside from the Trump factor, Greene’s evolution from hardcore Johnson critic to likely team player can also be explained by a recent breakthrough in their frayed relationship.
After Greene grilled Johnson on a number of topics during last week’s leadership candidate forum — including how the speaker plans to handle government funding and Ukraine aid — the pair had a one-on-one meeting aimed at resetting their relationship.
That meeting came the same day that Trump privately addressed House Republicans and urged them to unify.
Taking a page from McCarthy’s playbook, Johnson directed House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) to work with Greene and find a way to give her a seat at the table, according to sources familiar with the situation.
What Comer and Greene landed on is establishing a brand new Oversight subcommittee — chaired by Greene — that will work closely with Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency.” The so-called DOGE commission is being led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Greene, who once had her committee assignments taken away by Democrats and some Republicans over her incendiary rhetoric, cheered the development, which was announced Thursday in a Fox News article.
“I can’t wait to get to work!!” Greene wrote on X.
Wild cards: We’re told there’s at least one House Republican who has privately indicated that they’re a “hard no” on voting for Johnson for speaker. Another option is to vote “present” as a way to register opposition without derailing Johnson’s reelection.
The final makeup of the House has yet to be finalized, but Johnson will only be able to lose a handful of votes on the floor.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a fierce Johnson critic who teamed up with Greene on the motion to vacate, didn’t respond to a request for comment over how he plans to vote in January. Massie, who was once targeted by Trump and initially backed Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis for president, only endorsed Trump during the election’s final stretch.
Other hardliners haven’t officially committed to Johnson just yet. They’re waiting to see how many conservatives serve on key panels like the House Rules and Ways and Means committees.
“We’re all still having our conversations,” conservative Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a Rules member, told us.
The House Freedom Caucus and Republican Main Street Caucus cut a deal last week on raising the threshold needed to file a motion to vacate. That deal will still need to be ratified by the House rules package, so it’s not set in stone quite yet.
