Trumpist Republican becomes new Speaker of US House of Representatives

The US House of Representatives elected a new speaker, Mike Johnson, on 25 October after several weeks of attempts. He is a representative of the Republican majority and a supporter of former President Donald Trump.

Source: European Pravda, citing CNN

Details: Johnson, who was the fourth nominee of the House majority for speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress over the past three weeks, won the support of 220 party members, thus exceeding the minimum 218 required. As in previous rounds of voting, the Democratic Party representatives unanimously supported their minority House leader, Hakeem Jeffries.

51-year-old Mike Johnson has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2016 and has been serving as vice-chair of the House Republicans. He represents one of the most conservative districts in Louisiana and is himself considered a supporter of extreme right-wing views.

Johnson is also known for supporting former US President Donald Trump, who approved his candidacy. He led Trump's legal defence during his first impeachment trial in the House of Representatives and recruited House Republicans to sign on to a petition asking the US Supreme Court to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The Republicans for Ukraine coalition gave Mike Johnson the lowest rating in terms of support for Ukraine. He had voted only for the 2022 Lend-Lease Act for Ukraine and consistently supported initiatives to reduce aid to Kyiv.

Background: 

The House of Representatives has been without a speaker since 3 October, when Kevin McCarthy resigned from the post. This happened under pressure from the far-right wing of his Republican Party, where McCarthy was accused of collaborating with Democrats and of making a "secret deal" to help Ukraine.

After that, the Republicans first nominated the far-right Jim Jordan and subsequently the moderate Tom Emmer, but both were forced to withdraw their candidacies due to lack of support.

The US House of Representatives cannot pass new laws, including those on aid to Ukraine, without a speaker. The interim US federal budget will last only until mid-November, so to avoid a government shutdown, Congress must resolve this issue. That is why the personality of the speaker of the House of Representatives is also important for Kyiv.

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