The problem with aligning yourself with the MAGA death cult is that you’re signing up to spend time with some pretty awful people. That’s what House Speaker Mike Johnson seems to be learning all too late after a tiff with a fellow MAGA-ite escalated into a full-on battle royale. The usually-reserved Johnson officially lost his cool, and for once, we can’t blame him.
Johnson lashed out at anti-LGBTQ+ Tr*mp apologist and AI outsourcer Anna Paulina Luna earlier this month when the Florida rep. tried to crush a bill intended to protect veterans. The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act would have helped service members access retirement funds with certain dubious consequences, but in a “screaming match” that saw Luna fighting with Rep. Zach Nunn front of another representative’s child, Johnson finally snapped.
“I’m sick of this sh*t,” he said, according to witnesses.
Johnson “immediately” apologized to Lune, Nunn, and the child who happened to witness it all. As a supporter of the bill, Johnson had a lot at stake: he’s in need of a pre-midterm win, and he knows it. If the veteran benefits bill had passed, he could have claimed credit. As it happened, the bill was crushed shortly after the blowout between Luna and Nunn in Johnson’s office.
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This isn’t the first fight between Nunn and Luna over the bill. Politico reported a heated exchange in mid-June over the measure, with Johnson trying, and ultimately failing, to convince House members to pass it through. As we know all too well, Johnson doesn’t have the rizz to pull it off. Now, he’s entering the final pre-midterm stress with a shaky majority and a handful of dissenting, anti-MAGA Republicans fighting his every step.
The fact that Johnson publicly lost it is notable: if there’s one thing we know about Johnson, he tends to keep his cool, no matter what fresh hell Tr*mp and MAGA keep throwing his way. But after this week, where cameras caught the speaker sounding less than certain about the midterms, it’s clear he can see the writing on the wall, and it’s getting under his skin.
To make matters worse, this week saw a significant threat to Johnson’s uncertain majority via a Tennessee twist. While rep. Andy Ogles was the Tr*mp-endorsed favorite, his recent homophobic Pride Month tweet about reclaiming June as “Nuclear Family Month” didn’t do him many favors, even in one of the reddest of red states. Now, a new Republican challenger has come forward. Tennessee Agricultural Commissioner Charlie Hatcher won the endorsement of the state’s former governor, and it looks like he bet on the right horse, because Ogles’ chances post-Pride Month have slipped from 95% to 65%. Whoops!
As the MAGA implosion continues, temperatures remain high, and Johnson’s job remains in danger. He’s used to ruling over a silent, obedient majority in the House. But thanks to Tr*mp’s many Epstein files-related screw-ups and Todd Blanche’s threatened confirmation, Johnson’s job isn’t looking so easy. Republicans are splitting into two distinct factions: those who want to keep Tr*mp’s favor, and those who are sick of playing nice.
Will Johnson survive the midterm flip that will almost certainly kill his power in the House? We’ll just have to wait and see.
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