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As Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson seeking to retain his role, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., took aim at fellow Republican Chip Roy, R-Texas, who said he was “undecided” whether he would vote for Johnson.
The elected president Donald Trump endorsed Johnson for the job this week, but Roy indicated during an appearance on Fox Business that he doesn’t think the speaker will have the necessary votes to win in the upcoming vote on Friday.
Van Orden argued in his post on X that Trump “received a mandate from the American people in November” while Roy “did not.”
“This is America’s first program, not Chip Roy’s first program. It’s Make America Great Again, not Make Chip Roy Great. President Trump is fighting for America, Chip is fighting to keep his brand marketable,” Van Orden said.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE RACE FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
Left: Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., speaks to the media before a vote on the continuing government funding resolution at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024; Right: Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, arrives at the House Republican Conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 22, 2024. (Left: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Right: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“Some people seem to need to understand that in order to be a Leader, you must first learn to follow.” I’d love to work with Chip, but he needs to understand that he can be part of the Team, but there’s no way in hell he’s going to be a captain back in the White House anytime soon, and his first lieutenant is @SpeakerJohnson,” Van Orden said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to a spokesperson for Roy to seek comment from the congressman.
Rep. Thomas Massey (R-Ky.) said he would not vote to keep Johnson on as speaker.
Roy noted that he is “undecided” on Johnson, but wants a change.
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Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., is seen outside the U.S. Capitol after the final vote before the August recess on July 25, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
“@RepThomasMassie will not vote for Hakeem Jeffries, unlike the GOP who voted with Democrats (more Democrats than GOP each time) to spend about $3 trillion and give $61 billion to Ukraine with no border protection.” — Roy said in a message on X.
“The reason I’m still undecided about voting for Speaker (as opposed to a solid no) is that it’s not ALL @SpeakerJohnson’s fault and I’m willing to give him grace & @realDonaldTrump room to run an important agenda , for which we were elected. But something MUST change,” he noted.
Johnson’s path to victory is shaky and could be derailed if another Republican joins Massey in strongly opposing Johnson’s bid to retain the speakership.
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Rep. Thomas Massey (R-Ky.) is seen outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Fox News Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram explained, “The winning candidate must secure an absolute majority of all members voting for the nominated candidate.”
Pergram described a possible scenario in which only two Republicans could prevent Johnson from reaching the threshold needed to win. “So let’s say there are 434 members and everyone votes for someone by name. The magic number is 218. If Johnson gets the votes of all 219 Republicans, he wins. If Johnson gets 218 votes, he also wins. But 217? No dice.” , – noted Pergram.
