Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) somehow managed to give President Trump a vote of confidence while at the same time hedging his bet in case the GOP gets clocked in the midterm elections.
Trump has already started touring the country to boost voter confidence, and his administration has been touting wins since the first 100 days in office.
Johnson said he has faith that the GOP will perform in November, but he did so in a way that appeared to boost Trump while covering himself if they do lose.
After 100 days in office, the administration boasted about all the wins it had for the American people, while Dems and the media disagreed.
After a full year in office, the White House put out a press release, “365 WINS IN 365 DAYS.” All caps, vintage Trump.
The first 67 wins were tied to immigration and crime, Trump’s foremost agenda, then the report moved right into the economy, starting with driving gasoline prices down.
While Trump claimed wins, he was getting crushed in the polls, which he called “fake news,” but that was to be expected. I gave him a passing grade, but I have always looked at this term as playing the long game, and the country appeared to be headed in the right direction.
That is the keyword for Democrats, and the GOP has been trying to push back, even amid the tariff wars and Operation Epic Fury.
Democrats have chosen to attack rather than rally, as they refuse to waste the opportunity to hit Trump.
Trump has had to hit back, touting the economic wins he has had for the American people, including the big push to get the price of prescription drugs down.
This particular stop was in Kentucky, so Trump blasted Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who has been at war with the president since the beginning of this term. In turn, Trump endorsed his primary opponent, so we will see how much weight Trump’s name carries in a state where Trump’s version of MAGA is not fully embraced.
So, how do you protect yourself but not really say you are protecting yourself? Johnson just held a master class when asked whether Republicans will still align themselves with Trump during the midterm elections.
He stated, "The American people are going to understand he is on the ballot, at least in a metaphorical sense, because if we were to lose the midterms, everybody knows the chaos that would ensue.” He later added, "President Trump is going to be … he's engaged, he's going to run like he's 2024. He's going to do the rallies and do the events, and he's already doing it now. He's going to be heavily involved. And he is still the turnout machine for our side — as well as the other side, I acknowledge that."
If you are a gambler, you have to appreciate the hedge. Johnson says America will support Trump because he is, metaphorically speaking, on the ballot. But when you read between the lines, he is saying if we lose, it’s not me, it’s because people don’t like Trump. Johnson is worried. His language is softer, and now he is hedging his bets.
This is exactly why Trump needs to make friends in the party, not enemies. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Thom Tillis. Bob Good. Thomas Massie. These are a handful of Republicans who used to support Trump and now openly oppose him. You don’t have to like them, but you do need to listen to their points and respect their opinions, not call them low-IQ and every other name in the book.
There is a fact that cannot be denied… If you want to win, you need to grow numbers, not shrink them, and when you alienate these people, you alienate their voters. Republicans do not have the luxury of saying “we don’t need them to win.” Yes, yes, we do need them.
