House conservatives raised concerns about Johnson to Trump before spending fiasco

A handful of conservative House Republicans were voicing concerns about Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to President-elect Trump even before last week’s government funding fiasco, multiple sources on Capitol Hill and in Trump's orbit told The Hill, prompting even more uncertainty about the Louisiana Republican’s grasp on the gavel less than two weeks before the Speakership vote.

The Republicans had spoken to the president-elect in the weeks before the shutdown showdown, airing grievances and raising reservations about Johnson’s handling of various issues and his management of the House GOP conference, the sources said.

The sources — most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive conversations — would not reveal the names of the Republicans who spoke to Trump out of fear of detailing private discussions. But the conversations were a mix of Republicans calling Trump with concerns about Johnson, and the president-elect asking members for a status report on the Speaker.

“Members are calling Trump to dump Johnson,” a Trump World source told The Hill.

A second source told The Hill that “members are sharing their discontent and concern and he’s observing,” citing Johnson’s “inability to decide, inability to get it done.”

“The president recognizes that [Johnson] is somebody he can push around,” they added. “I think he’s weighing the benefit of that with, can this guy get it done.”

A third source told The Hill “there’s real concerns about his ability to manage the place.”

“It’s just laying out what’s going on,” they added, arguing that Johnson’s handling of matters in recent months foreshadowed the current spending debacle.

“You can kind of see what was happening with this was going to happen,” they said.

The source said Trump “took it fine,” noting that the president-elect was focused on getting prepared for his incoming administration.

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told The Hill he was aware of Republicans talking to Trump about concerns with Johnson, noting that the discussions have been ongoing “for a couple of weeks.”

Norman said the GOP gripes have included “that the Democrats have ruled and Johnson doesn’t fight.”

The Hill reached out to Trump and Johnson for comment.

News of the conversations surfaced as House Republicans of all stripes grew frustrated with Johnson’s handling of government funding last week, which sparked a mutiny in the GOP conference. Hours before the Friday-at-midnight funding deadline, Johnson moved a continuing resolution that did not include an increase to the debt limit — which Trump had demanded — raising the possibility for anger in Trump World.

Johnson and congressional leaders first rolled out a 1,500-page continuing resolution on Tuesday, and by Wednesday it was dead. Republicans on Capitol Hill raised frustrations with the measure even before it was unveiled, and Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance on Wednesday afternoon added the final nail to the coffin. They not only slammed the existing deal but called for an increase in the debt limit, throwing a curveball into the already complicated funding negotiations.

Trump intensified his rhetoric on Wednesday, threatening primary challenges for Republicans who vote to pass Johnson’s negotiated spending package.

After attempting — but failing — to pass a package that included a two-year suspension of the debt limit, Johnson moved on the bipartisan, short-term stopgap that just included disaster relief and economic assistance for farmers, excluding language on the debt limit despite Trump’s demand. Instead, Republicans entered into an agreement to increase the borrowing limit by $1.5 trillion in exchange for $2.5 trillion in net cuts to spending, done through a reconciliation package in the next Congress.

Trump has not commented on the last plan that averted a shutdown, raising questions about his thoughts on the legislation and his confidence in Johnson. Shortly before the vote, Elon Musk wrote on the social platform X: “The Speaker did a good job here, given the circumstances. It went from a bill that weighed pounds to a bill that weighed ounces.”

Some outlets, however, have reported that Trump is unhappy with Johnson.

The previous concerns Republicans have voiced to Trump, and the current outrage in the GOP conference over the government funding scramble, are raising questions about Johnson’s ability to keep hold of the gavel during the House’s Speakership vote on Jan. 3.

Johnson unanimously won the nomination from his conference last month, after hard-line conservatives ditched plans to put up an alternative candidate and opted against forcing a recorded vote to protest his candidacy.

But now, some Republicans are showing apprehension to backing him in January. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who supported a motion to vacate against Johnson earlier this year, said he will not support Johnson during the floor vote, and a handful of other Republicans say they are undecided.

Johnson cannot afford to lose any other Republicans, assuming every member is present and votes for a candidate. On Wednesday, Johnson told reporters, “I’m not worried about the Speaker vote.”

“We're governing. Everybody knows we have difficult circumstances. We're doing the very best we can under those circumstances,” he added.

The biggest factor in the Speakership talks, however, is if Trump sticks by Johnson, and if he urges Republicans to support him in the floor vote. Trump has been vocally supportive of Johnson in the past, but that backing appears to be cracking in the wake of the spending fight.

Asked by NBC News in a phone interview on Thursday if he still has confidence in Johnson, Trump responded: “We’ll see.”

“[The funding deal] they had yesterday was unacceptable,” he added, referring to Johnson’s spending package. “In many ways it was unacceptable. It's a Democrat trap.”

Shortly before, he told Fox News Johnson will “easily remain Speaker” if he “acts decisively and tough” and removes “all of the traps being set by the Democrats” in the funding bill.

Some Republicans see Trump’s support for Johnson as the only factor keeping him in the job.

“If it weren’t for the fact that he is, has tied himself so closely to Trump, I don’t think that he would be Speaker,” one Freedom Caucus member told The Hill.

The lawmaker, who was not aware of lawmakers airing their gripes to Trump, said Republicans are “more worried about Trump than they are Mike Johnson.”

“I don’t think anybody wants to offend Trump if Trump is backing Johnson,” the member continued. “Johnson knows that, that’s why he’s spending every waking minute that he can with the incoming president.”