Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Eric Garcia and Andrew Feinberg

Trump-backed Mike Johnson remains House speaker after Republican holdouts flip votes at last minute

Johnson earned the vote of 218 Republicans - (AP)

Mike Johnson has become speaker of the House after a dramatic delay caused by a handful of insurgent Republicans who revolted against him during the first vote of the 119th Congress.

Johnson ultimately earned the vote of 218 Republicans, the bare minimum needed to win the speaker’s gavel, after discussions with two holdouts — Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas — who ended up flipping their votes at the last moment. According to CNN, Trump called both lawmakers while the voting was still open and urged them to throw their weight behind Johnson.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.