President Donald Trump has repeatedly reminded Speaker Mike Johnson who really holds sway over House Republicans, joking behind closed doors that he’s doing two jobs at once.
During recent White House meetings with Johnson and conservative lawmakers, Trump ribbed the Louisiana Republican over his reliance on the president to bring wavering GOP members into line.
“I have two jobs: being president and being speaker,” Trump joked in front of Johnson and Republican leaders gathered in the Oval Office.
With Republicans holding only a razor-thin House majority, Johnson has frequently turned to Trump over the past two years to help secure votes and push the party’s agenda, according to a bombshell report from NOTUS.
“[Trump’s] the one getting everyone in line,” one House Republican told NOTUS.
The report said Johnson has repeatedly deferred to the White House on legislation, instructing lawmakers to seek approval from Trump before introducing bills.
VIDEO: Trump Walks Out Of ‘Meet The Press’ Interview Over Biased Questions: ‘You’re Crooked’
Trump has also been known to call lawmakers while votes are taking place on the House floor, pressuring members to change their positions in real time.
“It is a total shirking of responsibilities to the White House,” another House Republican complained to NOTUS.
“Everything has to be preordained and pre-blessed, and there’s very little that we’re able to have our own will on. We should be empowered to pass our own priorities, not just follow what the mandate of the day is.”
Trump personally intervened during last year’s battle over a budget measure, working the phones to persuade Republican holdouts to abandon their “no” votes while voting was underway.
According to NOTUS, one of those conversations left Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., visibly emotional.
The report said Spartz was crying while attempting to speak with Trump during a call in the House cloakroom.
After the conversation ended and Spartz walked away, Trump, who remained on speakerphone, reportedly remarked: “I have no fucking idea what she just said.”
Trump’s involvement in House affairs stretches back even further.
When Johnson was fighting to retain the speaker’s gavel in January of last year, Trump personally called Republicans who had opposed him and convinced them to switch their votes.
Johnson’s office did not dispute the details outlined in the report, though aides insisted the relationship between the White House and Congress remains productive.
“Speaker Johnson is proud to have a strong and productive working relationship with the President that has delivered countless positive legislative results for the American people,” a spokesperson for the speaker said, adding that “healthy tension between the legislative and executive branches” still exists.
Trump’s extensive influence over the House GOP conference has sparked concerns among some Republicans about how much power the executive branch now exercises over Capitol Hill.
“In my adult lifetime, I have not seen an executive branch with as much input and influence over the chamber than this one has,” said Rep. Steve Womack, an Arkansas Republican.
Download the FREE Trending Politics App to get the latest news FIRST >>
