The House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing calls to be removed from his position and is plummeting in popularity among Republicans and Trump supporters but surging among Democrats and Biden supporters, according to new polls.
Surveys show double-digit swings against Johnson over two weeks among Trump voters and Republicans, dropping his approval to around 40% among both groups.
Meanwhile, his approval rose by similar margins among Democrats and Biden voters.
This comes after Johnson handed control of the House to Democrats by allowing passage of foreign aid to Ukraine without border security provisions.
House Democrats now plan to vote to save Johnson’s position, reflecting his newfound support among their ranks.
“Look, I have to do my job. We have to do what we believe to be the right thing. What the country needs right now is a functioning Congress. They need a Congress that works well, works together and does not hamper its own ability to solve these problems. So, we saw what happened with a motion to vacate the last time. Congress was closed for three weeks,” he said.
“No one can afford for that to happen. So we need people who are serious about the job here to continue to do that job and get it done. So I have to do what I believe is right every day and let the chips fall where they may.”
His spokesman declined to acknowledge the polls, while Johnson maintained being a “lifelong conservative” but said he must do his job and keep government functioning.
“The Speaker of the House serves the whole body,” he said.
“I am a conservative Republican, a lifelong conservative Republican,” Johnson added. “That’s what my philosophy is, that’s what my record is. We’ll continue to govern on those principles. You hope you have the support of everyone–the entire country. But like I said, I’ve got to continue to do my job and continue to keep my head down. This is a very serious time for the country. We’re not playing games here. The world is on fire because of all of the things we talked about today. We shouldn’t be playing politics and engaged in the chaos that, uh, looks like palace intrigue here. We need to be doing the job that the framers intended for Congress to play, and that’s what I’m about, and I’ll continue to pursue that every day. We’ll keep the wheels of government functioning.”
