Republican Speaker of the House since October 2023; facilitated several Trump-aligned congressional maneuvers in the 118th and 119th Congresses
Background
James Michael Johnson is a Republican congressman from Louisiana who was elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in October 2023 following the removal of Kevin McCarthy, the first Speaker ever removed by a House vote. As Speaker, he navigated significant internal Republican divisions while advancing Donald Trump’s legislative priorities, including the “One Big Beautiful Bill” in 2025. He drew criticism for his role in delaying the seating of a newly elected Democratic congressman in 2025, and for his support of efforts to challenge the 2020 election results. He had been an architect of the amicus brief supporting Texas’s challenge to the 2020 election results.
