My Interview of Speaker Mike Johnson

INTERVIEW OF SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON OCTOBER 25, 2024 BY CAL THOMAS

CT: You and Senator Mitch McConnell have issued a joint statement criticizing Kamala Harris and some others who have applied the “fascist” label to Donald Trump. Traditionally politicians have called each other names. Recall the race between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams which was a nasty affair. What’s different this time?

MJ: I think it’s the political environment. President Trump has already had two assassination attempts on his life in a short period of time. The country is so bitterly divided. The difference between now and the Founder’s era is the technology and 24/7 news coverage and social media which I think ultimately has been a toxin for our political environment. Adams and Jefferson might have gone at each other but then there were a couple of print publications, people read them and moved on. Now, social media amplifies everything. I think it moves dangerous people to do dangerous things. We need to turn the temperature down across the board.

CT: President Trump has used some incendiary language, calling people lunatics, denouncing President Biden as a crook, sleepy Joe. He even called someone “retarded.” Have you asked him to tone down the rhetoric?

MJ: (chuckles) He and I use different language. We have different styles. When I came to Congress in 2017 – the same year he did —  one of the first things I did was found the Honor and Civility Caucus. I drafted a document called The Commitment to Civility which was a summary of the Golden Rule. I circulated it through the House and all of my freshman colleagues  — that year we had 52 freshmen, Republicans and Democrats – and all but one signed on to that commitment.  We rhen went to leaders and luminaries on both sides – from John Lewis to Kevin McCarthy and they isigned on. A lot of things have changed over the last eight years. I think the rhetoric generally in the nation and certainly on Capitol Hill has devolved and become worse and worse. We can disagree in an agreeable manner. I’m trying to model that. I’m hopeful we can get back to that in the country.

CT: Mr. Trump has also spoken of “the enemy within” which is a throwback to the Cold War era. Is that useful rhetoric?

MJ: I’ve been asked a lot about that comment. I think he’s been taken out of context on that. I was asked by Jake Tapper (CNN) is he saying he’s going to sic the military on Adam Schiff (Congressman and candidate for senator from California)? That is not what he is talking about. Trump has been the most maligned and attacked political figure at least in the modern era. From the moment he came down the golden escalator, they just don’t like him, the way he communicates and the way he acts. Lawfare has been created to unfairly attack him. I understand his frustration with that. He uses strong language when he’s at rallies. But I don’t think what he’s saying is escalating this to military involvement and all this kind of fantastical things they are saying about him. I just don’t believe that. I’ve gotten to know him well and as my wife Kelly often says I wish that everybody could get to know the Donald Trump we know. In private company and in small groups he’s one of the most magnanimous, fun people you’d ever want to know. He’s an authentic guy. He speaks what’s on his mind. That’s not typical for politicians. He ruffles feathers, but his style is what it is. He was a real estate developer who came up in a cut throat industry and that’s how people act.

CT: You’ve been cautious about predicting the outcome of this election after the failure of the “red wave.” What are your polls telling you about this one? Do you expect to maintain the House Republican majority and perhaps add to it?

MJ: I do and I’m not basing this optimism on polls. I don’t think we can trust polls anymore. The reason for my optimism is my own observations. I’ve been traveling nonstop. I’ve done campaign events in more than 230 cities in 40 states. I’ve spent a lot of time in Blue states, swing districts and toss-up districts where Republicans are not expected to do well, because we historically have not. What I have seen is a siezable movement. I don’t think the polling is reflecting this. I believe we are going to have a demographic shift in this election.

CT: If there is unified government what would be some of your legislative priorities? We have a $35 trillion debt. We have, according to the NY Post, $150 billion spent on migrants just last year. Trump has said he will bring in outside auditors to audit the Federal government and get rid of unnecessary employees. Does any of that ring your bells?

MJ: All of it. I served on the Judiciary Committee, but also Armed Services. I’ve always been struck when we bring in leaders from the Pentagon and ask them under oath what they believe are the top threats to America. They don’t say China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran. They say the national debt.  We’ve got to get back to fiscal sanity. That’s one of the foundational principles of our party. Waste, fraud and abuse in federal programs is part of it, but we do need a leaner and faster federal workforce. So many of these agencies have been weaponized against people. Trump wants to take a blowtorch to the regulatory state and I can’t wait to hold it. That’s what will usher in the pro-growth economy again. Of course it will be tax policy but regulatory reform is the real thing. As I travel around the country I’m meeting with people from small businesses to the largest companies and they’re dying under federal mandates and all this rules and regs and red tape it’s just making it impossible to do business. So if you get the government out of the way we can allow the free market to thrive again. I think we’ll have the votes.

CT:  As you know, Social Security and Medicare are the main drivers of the debt. Both are forecast to run out of money early in the next decade. Nobody wants to touch it for fear of being denounced. Paul Ryan tried and Democrats created an ad with a Ryan look-a-like pushing an old woman in a wheelchair over a cliff. Is reform of these programs on your radar?

MJ: Everything has to be addressed and we’re running out of time to do it. There are some sensible measures that can be taken that I think would be bipartisan. Everybody recognizes what must be done as Social Security now have a nine year period before they become insolvent. To save the programs we have to adjust them, not to reduce benefits in any way. We are going to fiercely fight to protect everybody’s benefits. I’m not forecasting what those adjustments are. There’s a lot of ideas. We’ve had a debt commission to study it before. I have colleagues who have scores of ideas already drafted. I think you will have to have a bi-cameral, bi-partisan approach to address it. I’m optimistic we can do that.

CT: One of the questions raised by NY Times columnist David French and other self-described evangelical Christians is why did this group say character was everything when it came to Bill Clinton’s behavior with women, but they now have jettisoned that standard when it comes to Donald Trump. As a believer yourself, can you explain that?

MJ: Sure. David French is a former colleague of mine at the Alliance Defense Fund. I came up in the evangelical movement for 25 years before I came to Congress. That’s who I am. My approach is that I can’t control what other people do or say. All I can do is try to set an example and live out my faith and live out those principles. This is our politics today. I think if we appeal to the better angels (of our nature) as Lincoln said that does well for the country. I don’t criticize or judge others. I just try to follow my true North and that’s Scripture.

CT; A growing number of Republicans are raising concerns about what appears to be an unending war in Ukraine and an unending flow of American aide to Kiev. What do you think will happen in then next Congress with respect to American aide?

MJ: I actually believe when President Trump is re-elected he will be the change agent and the catalyst to solve that conflict quickly. He’ll call Vladimir Putin and lay down the law. He is right about what he’s said in his convention speech and on the icampaign trail that none of these wars happened on his watch. We projected peace through strength. They feared what America might do. That all evaporated when Biden took over. That’s why Israel was attacked, why Ukraine was attacked and China is making provocations about Taiwan. All that changes when we have a new commander in chief. I believe we will enter a new era. I hope and don’t expect we will be needing to send anymore funding to Ukraine.  And I think that will be in the interest of people around the world.

CT: Do you believe Putin will pull out?

MJ: I’m not going to hypothesize on how this gets resolved, but I do think his appetite has to be waning. He’s lost 600 thousand troops and they’re seeking assistance from North Korea. It’s been a disastrous situation for him. And now Ukraine is advancing into Russia so people are looking for an exit ramp and I’m optimistic one will be found.

CT:  You’ve said that anyone who wants to know your worldview only needs to read the Bible and they will find it there. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) has said you want to create a theocracy. How do you respond to that and how does the Bible influence you on issues other than abortion and the LGBTQ political agenda?

MJ: Our worldview informs how we think about everything. As a Bible believing Christian that is the center of my philosophy on everything. For him to say I want a theocracy is nonsense. The language that I’ve used and the philosophy I’m following is almost identical to that of the Framers of the country. Washington said religion and morality are the indispensable supports of our nation. And Adams said our Constitution is made only for a moral and religious people and is wholy inadequate for any other. I’m just trying to restore them. What Reagan said if we ever forget we are one nation under God we will be a nation that has gone under. His faith informed all the policy decisions he made and the string stances he made on the world stage. I’m following the same philosophy. It may not be in vogue right now, but is actually quintessentially American.