Mike Johnson chosen to be the Republican nominee for speaker

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was chosen by House Republicans Wednesday afternoon to be the Republican nominee for speaker in January, according to a post by the House Republican Conference on X. 

Republicans chose Johnson by a unanimous voice vote, with no objections, according to a source in the room. This means there was no secret ballot needed. 

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Johnson will still need 218 votes on the House floor in January to actually secure the speakership. As of now, he is just the Republican nominee.

House Republicans also re-elected Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer to their current positions. 

President-elect Donald Trump huddled with House Republicans earlier Wednesday ahead of their leadership elections and threw his support behind Johnson, a key ally, as the GOP prepares for unified control of government next year.

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Endorsing the Louisiana Republican for two more years as speaker, Trump said he is "with him all the way," using such words as “tremendous” and “terrific” to describe Johnson, according to Republican sources in the closed-door meeting at the Hyatt Regency hotel near the Capitol.

Trump received multiple standing ovations from rank-and-file Republicans during the meeting. Introducing Trump on stage, Johnson called Trump the "Comeback King."

"We did something that no one thought could be done," the speaker said, adding that congressional Republicans rode a Trump wave to victory.

The private gathering came just hours before NBC News projected that Republicans will win at least 218 seats and maintain control of the House after last week's elections, handing the GOP all levers of power in Washington in 2025.

It was Trump's first visit to Washington following his victory last week over Vice President Kamala Harris. After the event with Republicans, Trump headed to the White House for a meeting with President Joe Biden.