Former President Donald Trump has again backed House Speaker Mike Johnson following the weekend passage of $95 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
“Look, we have a majority of one, OK? It’s not like he can go and do whatever he wants to do,” Trump, 77, told radio host John Fredericks on Real America’s Voice Monday night.
“I think he’s a very good person. You know, he stood very strongly with me on NATO,” added Trump, referring to a campaign rally in which he urged member states to pay more for their common defense — or he would let Russia “do whatever the hell they want.”
“I think he’s trying very hard,” the 45th president concluded.
Johnson (R-La.) bucked the majority of his conference on Saturday and joined with 210 House Democrats to pass $60.8 billion that will assist Ukraine in its war against Russia.
“Three of our primary adversaries, Russia, Iran, and China are working together,” the speaker declared following the vote. “Their advance threatens the free world, and it demands American leadership.”
The House GOP majority has shrunk to 217-213 with the early departures of Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) and former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
That means Republicans can only lose one vote by a member of their conference and still get legislation through. (Tie votes fail in the House.)
Eight Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), voted McCarthy out last October following a similar government spending fight that involved accusations of a side deal between McCarthy and the White House Ukraine.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) led the opposition to Saturday’s bill, nearly 80% of which is set to replenish US weapons stockpiles, and called on Johnson to resign Sunday, saying he had “betrayed America.”
Russian media similarly attacked Johnson for having “the look of a traitor,” BBC News reported.
“Mike Johnson’s speakership is over. He needs to do the right thing, to resign, and allow us to move forward in a controlled process. If he doesn’t do so, he will be vacated,” Greene said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
Two other House Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Paul Gosar of Arizona — signed onto a motion introduced by Greene to vacate Johnson’s speakership ahead of the vote.
All three cited Johnson’s failure to secure the US border amid the growing migrant crisis, while Massie accused the speaker of getting run over by Democrats during recent negotiations on government spending.
“They roll him every time. Like on the [Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023], Kevin [McCarthy] got the 1% cut and some other things,” Massie told The Post on Saturday.
“But Speaker Johnson is bringing nothing back, which leads me to believe he’s either a poor negotiator and not equipped for the job — or he’s working for the other team.”
“I inherited a budget deal made by my predecessor that was unchangeable,” Johnson told RealClearPolitics in an interview last week about the size of the government spending bills.
“I was reminded very quickly by the other three of the four corners that ‘No, the deal was made,’” he said. “So, we did the best we could within that to fight for our policy priorities.”
Massie and other conservative House Republicans viewed Johnson’s reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows for the warrantless collection of US persons’ data, as another betrayal.
The foreign aid package allows for the seizure of $5 billion in Russian central bank assets to help rebuild Ukraine when the war concludes — and another $9.5 billion for Kyiv in the form of a loan.
“I said, ‘Make the money in the form of a loan,’ and they to a certain extent have done that,” Trump said during his Monday night interview, before claiming: “The war would’ve never happened if I were president.”
“Europe should be paying for this also at the same level as us — and they’re not doing that,” the former president added. “Europe is $100 billion behind us.”
Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee has introduced an amendment to ensure the US loans to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are used to pay down the national debt.
But other Senate Republicans like Ohio’s J.D. Vance have argued that helping Ukraine will only “prolong a bloody and gruesome war” — and should be opposed.
“Ukraine needs more soldiers than it can field, even with draconian conscription policies. And it needs more matériel than the United States can provide,” Vance wrote in a New York Times op-ed last week. “This reality must inform any future Ukraine policy, from further congressional aid to the diplomatic course set by the president.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a fierce Trump ally and pro-Ukrainian aid proponent, dismissed Vance’s criticisms as “garbage” during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.”
“I just got back from being there two weeks ago. They changed their conscription laws. They have all the manpower they need,” Graham said. “They need the weapons.”
“I challenge J.D. Vance to go to Ukraine and get a briefing from the Ukrainian military and talk with Ukrainian people, then tell me what you think,” Graham added. “We’re going back, you’re welcome to come.”
If the Senate passes the aid and President Biden signs it into law, the US will have approved nearly $174 billion for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, compared with the $160 billion authorized by the European Union.
