Speaker Mike Johnson’s meeting with former President Donald Trump on Monday ended with a thumbs up and a photo op — the latest sign of bonhomie between the party’s top leaders.
“Our Party is united, and working together, I am confident we will send President Trump back to the White House, win back the Senate, and grow our House Republican majority!” Johnson wrote on social media.
Johnson and his party’s House campaign chief, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate to discuss the party’s election strategy.
Trump has already played kingmaker in many GOP contests this year. But this sit-down — the speaker’s second meeting with the president in a week — shows party leaders are working toward further collaboration as November approaches.
Just last week, Trump told a crowd of House Republicans he would devote his own time to keeping their majority in November. While Republicans are optimistic about flipping the Senate and hopeful about winning the White House, the battle for the House is expected to be a tough climb. Trump, though, vowed to do 100 virtual town halls with GOP members ahead of the election.
House Democrats, meanwhile, mocked the Republican leaders’ Florida visit, with their campaign arm accusing Johnson and Hudson of attending to “bend their knee” to Trump.
“Vulnerable House Republicans are so obsessed with their wannabe dictator that they are going to Mar-a-Lago to get tips from him on how to remind voters that they’re to blame for ripping away reproductive freedom and overturning nearly 50 years of fundamental rights under Roe. Voters will remember come November,” DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton said in a statement.
