logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
7m 44s

Who is Mike Johnson, new Speaker of the ...

NPR
About this episode
After three weeks of congressional paralysis, House Republicans have elected a new Speaker of the House: Mike Johnson of Louisiana.

There's a pretty good chance you've never heard of him. He's kept a low profile since he was first elected in 2016.

Here's what you should know: He's a conservative lawyer who opposes abortion and same sex marriage — and played a major role in attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Johnson is one of Trump's biggest supporters in Congress. Now he's House speaker. What does that tell us about how he'll lead the house — and work with the current president, whose election he tried to overturn?

Email us at considerthis@npr.org

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Today
After devastating floods a Central Texas community comes together
It's been nearly a week since devastating flooding tore through Kerr County, Texas killing more than a hundred people.Now, after unimaginable tragedy, residents are coming together to help each other move forward.NPR's Juana Summers and producers Erika Ryan and Tyler Bartlam visi ... Show More
10m 53s
Jul 8
The U.S. birth rate is falling fast. Why? It's complicated
The total fertility rate is a small number with big consequences.It measures how many babies, on average, each woman will have over her lifetime. And for a population to remain stable - flat, no growth, no decline - women, on average, have to have 2.1 kids.In the U.S., that numbe ... Show More
10m 12s
Jul 7
Flooding is common in Texas Hill Country. This was different
Imagine standing in water shallow enough to just barely hit the soles of your feet. And then it rises so fast that in just about ten minutes, it's up to your neck. That's how fast the Guadalupe River in Texas rose last week, according to state officials. Twenty-six feet in less t ... Show More
11m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2024
Supreme decision, Speaker squeezed, Haley wins
The Supreme Court is expected to hand down at least one opinion today. It could impact Donald Trump's bid for a second term in the White House. Plus: Can House Speaker Mike Johnson get a spending bill passed and stave off a government shutdown - again - this week without backlash ... Show More
1h 29m
Oct 2023
Trump backer Mark Johnson elected speaker
Mike Johnson has been elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, ending weeks of chaos and Republican infighting on Capitol Hill. Mr Johnson's success in the hard-fought Speaker battle represents a victory for the ideologically right-wing, Trump-aligned faction of the Repub ... Show More
50m 15s
Oct 2023
Will there ever be a new House speaker?
Why the House can’t elect a speaker to lead it. And the temporary solution some Republicans are proposing in the meantime.  Read more: For two weeks, the House of Representatives has had no speaker. After the ouster of Kevin McCarthy, Republicans tried to push a replacement throu ... Show More
25m 15s
Feb 2024
Soon: House tries to impeach Mayorkas; first try failed
House Speaker Mike Johnson is about the hold a second vote to impeach the Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after his humiliating failure to do that successfully just a week ago. So, does he have the votes tonight? Also, we are less than two hours from polls closing ... Show More
48m 12s
Oct 2023
Rep. Mike Johnson elected new House speaker
After weeks of party infighting, Rep. Mike Johnson was voted the new House speaker. The Louisiana Republican secured the speaker’s gavel without losing any GOP votes. Johnson has been a supporter of former President Trump and was a key congressional figure in the failed attempt t ... Show More
52m 12s
Mar 2024
Why It Had to Be Trump
On Tuesday night, Donald J. Trump won another four nominating contests and officially became the presumptive Republican nominee. That’s despite the criminal charges, the judgments made against him in defamation and sexual abuse cases, the hundreds of millions of dollars in legal ... Show More
43m 48s
Jul 2023
Who'd Win A Trump-less GOP Primary?
It is widely believed that former President Donald Trump will be indicted for a third time in the coming days or weeks, as he received a target letter from the Department of Justice last week. The potential federal charges involve the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and ... Show More
58m 36s