Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) did not deserve a second term in leadership and would cost the GOP its majority in the lower chamber if reelected.
“Johnson is not up for this task,” Massie wrote in a Tuesday post on X, responding to criticism from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) that Republicans opposing Johnson were “in effect the allies of Democrats.”
“I challenge them to explain what their end game is other than noise,” Gingrich wrote.
Massie countered the former Speaker by listing the ways he thought Johnson failed to measure up.
“[We] want a Speaker who inspires the public and who can make our case in the media, so we can keep the majority for the second half of Trump’s term,” Massie wrote, as the House GOP caucus prepares for the Speaker vote later this week.
“Johnson nearly led us to the minority in what was a banner year for Trump. He is certain to lose us the majority in 2026.”
Massie’s comments came days after President-elect Trump gave an enthusiastic endorsement for Johnson’s second term as Speaker.
The Kentucky Republican has remained a staunch critic of Johnson since the summer and has doubled down in recent days on his opposition to him as Speaker.
“It’s somewhat ridiculous to assert that Mike Johnson is the only member of Congress electable to Speaker,” Massie wrote in his X post.
“He was only electable the first time because he hadn’t held any type of leadership position, nor had he ever fought for anything, so no one disliked him and everyone was tired of voting. He won by being the least objectionable candidate, and he no longer possesses that title.”
He continued by adding that Johnson “owes” his Speakership to Democrats, arguing that they were the reason he made it across the finish line during the last race to elect a House leader.
Johnson lost the faith of some party members after submitting failed texts for the latest continuing resolution. As a Friday vote looms, the politician is pressured with confirming his capability to serve as speaker with the risk of being cast aside in one defective vote.
His fate depends on members’ attendance and roll call status.
