By Olivia Rinaldi, Kathryn Watson
/ CBS News
Mike Johnson’s plans for a second Trump term
House Speaker Mike Johnson is visiting former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida Monday, as the two leaders of the Republican party plot their path to winning in November.
It’s been two months since Johnson last traveled to Mar-a-Lago, and he made the trip as was facing a threat to his speakership from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Trump made it clear then and later that he backed Johnson, and Greene’s attempt to oust Johnson was ultimately killed. Johnson returned the favor last month, appearing in Manhattan criminal court to support the now-convicted Trump during his trial.
“President Trump and I have constant dialogue about the plans for the election cycle and then the emerging plans about what we’ll do after we win the election cycle,” Johnson said Friday of his Monday meeting with Trump. “And I think we will, I think he’ll be the next president. And I think we’ll have a bigger majority in the House and a Republican majority in the Senate.”
Johnson said Republicans are “planning accordingly” for that victory, “not to put the cart before the horse but to think very strategically about how we’ll use that time effectively.” The House speaker also told reporters he and Trump would discuss which GOP candidates to endorse.
House Republicans have a razor-thin majority in the House, and Democrats hold the majority in the Senate.
But Trump may already having an impact on the composition of the House and its committees. Johnson recently appointed two controversial Trump allies, Rep. Scott Perry and Ronny Jackson, to the House Intelligence Committee, arguably the most sensitive House panel.
Late last year, a federal judge ordered Perry’s text and email communications to be turned over to federal investigators last year as part of the special counsel’s 2020 election probe into former President Donald Trump and his allies.
Jackson was demoted by the Navy in 2022 after a Pentagon watchdog investigation into his time as White House physician substantiated allegations of inappropriate conduct — a development that was not publicly known at the time.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner told CBS News “Face the Nation” Sunday that he expects Johnson to intervene if there is any “improper” behavior.”He’s going to continue to monitor the situation,” Turner said, adding that “if there’s any indication of anything improper happening,” he expects that “the speaker will assert leadership here.”
Trump visited House and Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill last week to discuss their 2024 agenda and air grievances in what GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz described as a “pep rally.” It was the former president’s first trip to Capitol Hill since his supporters assaulted the Capitol more than three years ago.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, who chairs the House Republican Conference, called the meeting a “very successful” political gathering.
“We are 100% unified behind his candidacy and are ready to get to work on behalf of the American people,” Stefanik told reporters, calling Trump’s appearance a “unifying event.”
Recent CBS News polling shows Trump and President Biden are neck-and-neck nationally.
Jaala Brown contributed to this report.
