House Speaker Mike Johnson defied the naysayers on Thursday, telling Daily Wire host Michael Knowles that Republicans will expand their majority in the 2026 midterm elections.
“I’m very bullish about the midterms,” Johnson said during the interview. “I’m absolutely convinced we are going to win the midterms and grow the majority. It will defy historic trend.”
Johnson acknowledged that such a result would break a longstanding pattern. “It’s only twice in the last 90 years that a sitting president has picked up seats in that first two-year cycle,” he said.
Still, Johnson argued the political landscape favors Republicans, pointing to fundraising advantages and Democratic struggles to define a clear agenda.
“We have a fundraising advantage right now because the stakes are so high — Republicans over Democrats for the first time in 10 years,” Johnson said. “Democrats are at historic lows in approval ratings. They have no leadership, no message, no vision for where they’re going.”
“Their whole platform is they hate Donald Trump,” he added. “Well, good luck with that. That’s not exactly something to sell to constituents.”
Of all the issues Republicans are leading on, Johnson stressed election integrity, noting that the House has already passed the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship and identification to vote in federal elections. Johnson told Knowles the problem is the Senate, where the legislation has been held up.
“We passed the SAVE Act twice, the previous Congress and this Congress,” Johnson said. “Now we pass the Save America Act because now it’s voter ID and proof of citizenship together.” He added that Trump has recently pushed for additional provisions to strengthen the bill, calling the package the “greatest hits” of election integrity measures.
Johnson said the bill now faces a complicated path in the Senate, where Majority Leader John Thune must decide whether to attempt moving the legislation despite procedural hurdles. According to Johnson, Senate rules could allow Democrats to stall the process with a flood of amendments.
“They’re concerned that if they open the talking filibuster … Democrats could flood the field with thousands of amendments,” Johnson said. “There’s no germaneness limitation. They can add any crazy Democrat policy they want.”
He warned that under Senate rules, each amendment must be read into the record in full, which could tie up the chamber. “They could file 1,400-page amendments and tie the Senate floor up for months,” Johnson said. “That’s what they’re concerned about.”
Johnson said he has discussed the issue directly with Trump and that the president believes Republicans should move forward despite the risks. “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Johnson said. “I talked to the president about the risks versus the benefits, and he said, ‘Let’s risk it. Go for it.’”
Johnson argued that voter ID and citizenship verification requirements enjoy broad public support and are necessary to restore trust in elections.
“You can’t have a constitutional republic if people don’t have faith in the election system,” Johnson said. “These are basic requirements.”
Johnson also addressed the challenges of managing the razor-thin Republican majority in the House, which has forced leadership to carefully balance competing factions inside the conference.
“I mean, we have the smallest margin in U.S. history,” Johnson said. “I have a one-vote margin. Which means I have to get unanimity because the aforementioned colleague of mine votes no almost every day.”
The comment was in reference to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who is in the midst of a feud with President Trump and frequently breaks with party leadership on spending and foreign policy issues.
Johnson pushed back on the notion that internal disagreements reflect a broader ideological divide over the party’s direction on foreign policy, insisting Republicans are not pursuing an interventionist approach.
“We are not in the nation-building business,” Johnson said. “We are not interventionists. We are not out trying to be the world’s policemen.”
He added that fiscal realities also limit America’s ability to pursue large-scale overseas commitments. “In reality, because of our financial situation, we don’t have the ability to do those things even if someone wanted to,” Johnson said.
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[[{“value”:”
House Speaker Mike Johnson defied the naysayers on Thursday, telling Daily Wire host Michael Knowles that Republicans will expand their majority in the 2026 midterm elections.
“I’m very bullish about the midterms,” Johnson said during the interview. “I’m absolutely convinced we are going to win the midterms and grow the majority. It will defy historic trend.”
Johnson acknowledged that such a result would break a longstanding pattern. “It’s only twice in the last 90 years that a sitting president has picked up seats in that first two-year cycle,” he said.
Still, Johnson argued the political landscape favors Republicans, pointing to fundraising advantages and Democratic struggles to define a clear agenda.
“We have a fundraising advantage right now because the stakes are so high — Republicans over Democrats for the first time in 10 years,” Johnson said. “Democrats are at historic lows in approval ratings. They have no leadership, no message, no vision for where they’re going.”
“Their whole platform is they hate Donald Trump,” he added. “Well, good luck with that. That’s not exactly something to sell to constituents.”
Of all the issues Republicans are leading on, Johnson stressed election integrity, noting that the House has already passed the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship and identification to vote in federal elections. Johnson told Knowles the problem is the Senate, where the legislation has been held up.
“We passed the SAVE Act twice, the previous Congress and this Congress,” Johnson said. “Now we pass the Save America Act because now it’s voter ID and proof of citizenship together.” He added that Trump has recently pushed for additional provisions to strengthen the bill, calling the package the “greatest hits” of election integrity measures.
Johnson said the bill now faces a complicated path in the Senate, where Majority Leader John Thune must decide whether to attempt moving the legislation despite procedural hurdles. According to Johnson, Senate rules could allow Democrats to stall the process with a flood of amendments.
“They’re concerned that if they open the talking filibuster … Democrats could flood the field with thousands of amendments,” Johnson said. “There’s no germaneness limitation. They can add any crazy Democrat policy they want.”
He warned that under Senate rules, each amendment must be read into the record in full, which could tie up the chamber. “They could file 1,400-page amendments and tie the Senate floor up for months,” Johnson said. “That’s what they’re concerned about.”
Johnson said he has discussed the issue directly with Trump and that the president believes Republicans should move forward despite the risks. “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Johnson said. “I talked to the president about the risks versus the benefits, and he said, ‘Let’s risk it. Go for it.’”
Johnson argued that voter ID and citizenship verification requirements enjoy broad public support and are necessary to restore trust in elections.
“You can’t have a constitutional republic if people don’t have faith in the election system,” Johnson said. “These are basic requirements.”
Johnson also addressed the challenges of managing the razor-thin Republican majority in the House, which has forced leadership to carefully balance competing factions inside the conference.
“I mean, we have the smallest margin in U.S. history,” Johnson said. “I have a one-vote margin. Which means I have to get unanimity because the aforementioned colleague of mine votes no almost every day.”
The comment was in reference to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who is in the midst of a feud with President Trump and frequently breaks with party leadership on spending and foreign policy issues.
Johnson pushed back on the notion that internal disagreements reflect a broader ideological divide over the party’s direction on foreign policy, insisting Republicans are not pursuing an interventionist approach.
“We are not in the nation-building business,” Johnson said. “We are not interventionists. We are not out trying to be the world’s policemen.”
He added that fiscal realities also limit America’s ability to pursue large-scale overseas commitments. “In reality, because of our financial situation, we don’t have the ability to do those things even if someone wanted to,” Johnson said.
“}]]
