After Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) was elected as the new House Speaker, former President Donald Trump extended his warm congratulations to him for securing the coveted gavel. The message comes hours after Johnson secured the win and just a day after Trump cast doubts on Rep. Tom Emmer’s (R-MN) bid for the position.

Taking to his preferred social media platform, Truth Social, Trump expressed his delight, stating, “Congratulations to Rep. Mike Johnson! He will be a GREAT ‘SPEAKER.’ MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” 

Speaking to reporters, the GOP presidential candidate said, “I just want to congratulate Mike Johnson. He will be a great Speaker of the House and we were very happy to have helped…This time yesterday, nobody was thinking of Mike, then we put out the word and now he’s the Speaker of the House.”

Earlier on the same day, Trump had used the platform to commend House Republicans for what he described as a “big and very important day.” He made a “strong SUGGESTION” for House Republicans to support Mike Johnson while also emphasizing the significance of their choice.

Trump’s message also extended congratulations to the other candidates who participated in the final rounds on Tuesday night. “Congratulations to Reps. Byron Donalds (Florida), Charles J. “Chuck” Fleischmann (Tennessee), Mark Green (Tennessee), & Roger Williams (Texas), & the ultimate winner of yesterday’s vote, by a significant margin, Mike Johnson (Louisiana),” he wrote.

He went further, “I am not going to make an Endorsement in this race, because I COULD NEVER GO AGAINST ANY OF THESE FINE AND VERY TALENTED MEN, all of whom have supported me, in both mind and spirit, from the very beginning of our GREAT 2016 Victory. In 2024, we will have an even bigger, & more important, WIN! My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & GET IT DONE, FAST!”

Trump’s endorsement of Johnson came after he expressed his disapproval of Tom Emmer as a leading Speaker candidate, warning House Republicans to back off that choice. He referred to Emmer as a “globalist RINO” and cautioned that voting for Emmer would be a “tragic mistake.”

Despite Emmer winning the nomination after five rounds, it became evident that Trump’s objections had a considerable impact, as many Republicans withheld their support. Ultimately, Emmer withdrew from the race, prompting a reevaluation of the candidates and leading to Johnson’s emergence as the winner.