Trump says Mike Johnson will 'remain an easy speaker' if he acts 'consistently and firmly' on spending

INTERMEDIATE: President-elect Donald Trump told Fox News Digital that House Speaker Mike Johnson will “remain the speaker” of the next Congress if he “takes decisive and strong action” and removes “all the traps placed by the Democrats” in the spending package.

Fox News Digital spoke exclusively with the president-elect Thursday morning, hours after a bipartisan deal to avoid a partial government shutdown was killed.

“Anyone who supports the bill that does not take care of the economy of the Democratic Alliance known as the democracy ceiling should be considered and rejected very quickly,” Trump told Fox News Digital.

Vice President-elect JD Vance met with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday night. The two talked about the decision which could last for about an hour. Vance said the two “had a very productive discussion,” and said he believes “they're going to be able to work out some issues here” and will continue to “work through it.”

The chaos surrounding the legislative effort to end the government shutdown is putting the upcoming speaker vote on hold, as Johnson struggles to keep the party fully united.

But the president-elect told Fox News Digital that Johnson will “maintain” his role as speaker.

“If the speaker takes decisive action, and is strong, and removes all the traps set by the Democrats, who will destroy our country, in other ways, he will remain the speaker,” Trump told Fox News Digital.

The speaker vote is scheduled for Jan. 3, 2025.

It's time to come now 1,547 page bill It was planned to be a short-term extension of the fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget, intended to give lawmakers more time to agree on funding for the remainder of FY 2025 by Friday's deadline.

In addition to funding the government on March 14, the bill includes more than $100 billion in disaster relief to help Americans affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene. It also included $10 billion in economic relief for farmers, as well as measures to reform health care and a provision aimed at revitalizing Washington, DC's RFK Stadium and surrounding campus.

The bill also proposed a pay raise for members of Congress.

Members of the House Freedom Caucus said they felt blindsided by what they saw as the addition of policy riders unrelated to the bill in last-minute negotiations.

Several GOP lawmakers who were not identified for public comment said Johnson would see challenges to his request to speak in early January on the issue.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.