come together and govern. is that would you would you do you think that that's an accurate statement that i just made? >> well, it's been previously accurate. here's what's interesting about this last election in the house. a majority of voters that voted for a house election voted for republicans in this country. republicans in this country to a larger percentage than the house seats of republicans. that has been different than democrats had that advantage for the last 20 years. and it just flipped in this election. so so it's incentive structure, right. and you can raise money online in an instant. you have enormous political power that is different structurally than where we were in, let's say, the 70s or the 80s. um, but in this situation, what we're looking at right here is the small group of people ralph, norman, andy biggs, um, it two very important people for these negotiations. uh, being in the they're now in the cloakroom

no public show of what they actually want. is it a policy objective? is it a process? >> let's find out, because i think dana has with her one of the individuals who is part of the house freedom caucus, although voted for speaker johnson, but was anticipating a number of no votes, abstentions, and his prediction was correct. and that's congressman tim burchett of tennessee. dana. >> yes. thank you so much. and, congressman, thank you for being here. thank you. we just i don't know, five minutes ago or so, we're watching the goings on on the floor. you sat down next to the speaker. you were telling him something. can you enlighten us? what's going on? >> yeah, i, i was telling him what i thought of what was going on, and i felt where he could meet with some folks one on one away from everybody

thumping their chests at him. >> so who is he meeting with? what's happening? >> he's meeting with. i'd say he's meeting with the ones who didn't vote for him. would be my guess. so there are three. so there's. i didn't count thomas massie because thomas massie is never going to know. thomas has already said he's not for him and he's not going to. he's a principled guy, and i'm not. >> so we're talking about ralph norman and keith self. do i have that right? >> yeah, i'd say that's right. okay. so i think he'll meet with them individually and and try to get to a point because you see you had so many other holdouts and they were sending a message by passing. >> what was that message. >> i think that they were. >> well, you're one of them. so what? no, ma'am. i didn't know you weren't. you voted yes, i voted for him. >> yes, ma'am. yes. forgive me. that's okay, that's okay. no, i think they just want him to know there's an issue with the freedom caucus, and. and they would like to see chip roy as chairman of of of the rules committee. now, outside of these these walls of congress, i doubt anybody really gives a rip. maybe people in chip's

district do, but it's important to them and it's something that they'd like to see. they'd like to see more conservative representation. i think that's part of the problem that we have with the spending. we just feel like things get to us on the floor and we have little or no say about it. you know, i'm i'm not in the freedom caucus. i just voted vote conservative as they do, because the rules committee is the one in in the house of representatives that really determines how things are going to go on the house floor. >> it's very different from the senate. this is key. speaker johnson said to my colleagues this morning he's not going to do that. i think lauren fox asked specifically. yes, ma'am. will you allow chip roy to be rules chair? and he said no. and then i think he means it. >> i do, but i think also they they want to know that they have a conservative voice. they want to know that the mike johnson that they elected speaker the first time is going to be the mike johnson. they

elected the second time. and we've had we had a little bit of falling out on those last three bills that we ended up voting for one. of course i did not. but just the spending that was involved in that and lifting the caps and things like that. we thought there was a disconnect between president trump, the speaker and us, and we felt like that we were not informed of what was going on. >> and just to sort of make sure that our viewers understand what is happening as we speak, you came off the floor to come and speak to us, which which we appreciate gladly. the vote is not closed. the first vote is not closed. so even though three republicans have voted effectively against mike johnson, what it sounds like you helped arrange was a conversation that he's happening, having as we speak with keith self and with ralph norman. what are they asking for? in addition to rules chair, which it sounds like they're not going to get, i agree with you. >> i think they'll write that

portion off because you saw chip roy, who i thought was very statesmanlike, begrudgingly, but he did vote for mike johnson. i think they're going to ask for, um, just a voice. i think at this point, you know, it's not to save face, but you have to go back to your constituents and say, i asked for this and i got it. it's not necessarily a quid pro quo. it's but it's a i think there's a psychological aspect to it, but there's also a real aspect of the fact that they want more fiscal restraint. and i believe that's what needs to that that message needs to be conveyed. and i suspect president trump would be calling them, um, if i know president trump and probably on the phone right now, i would say that would not be a but i would, i would i don't i hate to correct you, but the vote apparently has been closed now. oh, it has been closed. >> yes, ma'am. >> well, well that's i the reason i say that i was of that belief and i wasn't going to leave the floor, but i actually reached over and asked speaker johnson because i had to get it from the horse's mouth. so. and

and if i get a text and speaker johnson says, where the heck are you then i'm going to. yeah, i'm going to. >> well, you let us know. you can just give you a call. we can get it right on the air. >> no, i'm just getting somebody calling me now that my dog's out. so we're good. >> there you go, congressman. >> former congressman, former speaker. i suppose patrick mchenry was on our air earlier saying that part of the symbolism around the message that we're hearing from these conservatives is that there are potentially enough of them to remove johnson as speaker under the adjusted rules. is that part of this? and is that like an implicit threat as this is going on? >> well, it always is. you know, it's a one person, one person can do that, can bring the speaker up for removal. and i have people saying remove the speaker. now, i said, well, he's not in, he's not in. i mean, you know, we're we're kind of in a limbo state there. the constitution provides for that. but in the new rules package, they're going to move it, i believe, to nine, um, nine members. and i think some of the freedom caucus asked for

five, and they can live with nine, i suspect. and that's where it will move to. >> but the sort of. implication being that there may be enough of them together here that we're seeing that could move forward with that 100%, 100%. >> and they can, they can they can knock him out of the saddle pretty easily. and i think that's in the back of everybody's mind. but i also think that, you know, i've been one of those and it was six. and i can't tell you how many members came up to me and said, oh, burchett, i was counting and i'm glad you voted that way. i was going to jump in if i needed to. and i'm like, yeah, right. you know, i mean, i get that it's human nature and everybody wants to be in the middle of a everybody wants to be in the middle of the fight. and but i tell you, when you're getting yelled at from all sides and the world spotlight is on you, it gets a little tougher than than what's going on right now. >> how committed do you think president elect trump is to a speaker? >> mike johnson? he's very committed. he spoke about it. that's his thing. if he if he

puts his his stamp on it, i think he he he is behind it. and i and i respect that that that weighed heavy on a lot of guys. you saw some immediately as soon as he came out with that endorsement, because i encouraged that i was actually, um, i might have been talking to you one night on, on, on one of your news programs, and i said that if it's going to boil down, if donald trump gets involved. and apparently i was alerted by the speaker that he saw that interview. and actually, that's why they didn't endorse it. mar-a-lago they endorsed that night. he started the next morning endorsing. >> it's nice to know he watches state of the union. >> well, i would say if he was asked, he's probably one of his staff saw it and told him, but i'm not sure. >> but anyway, i just i know you have to get back to that. okay? i just want a bottom line i can pass and make them all nervous, okay? >> and then i can get i can get a bridge or something, or an aquarium or something in my district, i don't know. >> all right, well, i don't want to stop you from that horse. >> you're fine. ma'am, they'll text me. >> bottom line, this will mike

johnson become speaker relatively soon? meaning, will he make a deal, or will he convince? or maybe donald trump convince those two that he is meeting with right now, one of whom actually both of whom he needs? >> i would say if it doesn't happen in the next few hours, it probably won't happen. i'd say you'll see them peel off and you'll see a jim jordan or byron donalds or somebody like that. but i always warn those guys, you know, daddy was in the second world war in the pacific and on a little island called peleliu. and the guy on that amphibious craft, they were fighting the japanese. and it was awful. and they were coming in on the shore. and the guy in the front of the amphibious craft was a young guy cussing how he was going to get after those blankety blanks. and then he looked in the back and there was an old timer back there smoking a cigarette and undid his helmet and was probably praying. daddy said, that's the guy i'm going with, because the guy, the first one over the over the top is likely the first, the one to get shot. so the next person that jumps into this thing could get shot. and i would say not. not literally, but

figuratively, politically. and i would say you would see a third round person probably be the one that would get it. in my opinion. i could be wrong, but that's generally the way these things go. >> i said one last question, but now i really mean it. what does it say about donald trump? >> you're saying an and i'm a conservative, so i'm supposed to say, oh yeah, sure. >> what is it? what does it say about donald trump? if mike johnson does it? like how much of a of a question of trump's ability to, to lead and to. >> i don't think it says anything. i think what it says is the follow up is what it will say it his phone call with these folks afterwards, after they they do this and with no clear plan and, you know, where are we going to after this? a good pool player. when i play pool, i'm just hitting the dadgum cue ball into the next ball. a good pool player is looking to that third or fourth shot after that, where the ball is going and where it ends up. donald trump is a good pool player. he sees what's going on. he knows we've got a three person majority. he's going to have to rein it in, rein these folks in. and and i think he

will. i don't think it shows any negative. and if we were off the record or on the record, i'd tell you the same thing. i don't think it shows anything other than you've got a bunch of independent minds up here and everybody sort of sowing their their oats right now, and i think we'll pull it together. >> all right. world war two pool. you've got a lot of analogies there. >> i mentioned my dog roscoe. >> i'm glad your dog is okay. thank you for coming over here, ma'am. >> it's been a pleasure and i always enjoy being on with you all. >> thank you. manu, i know you have a member with you as well. >> yeah. congressman dale strong, who just voted for mike johnson. what's your message to those republicans who voted against johnson? and what are they asking for at this moment? >> well, some of that is still on the table. what's frustrating is we're sitting here, it's time to certify donald trump as the next president of the united states of america. the people throughout america are suffering from inflation, high interest rates, high cost of fuel, high cost of groceries. let's go in here and let's certify this, uh,

this speaker, so we can certify the president. and let's start addressing the problems of this country. this little spitwod fight has got to stop, and it's got to stop soon. >> and you don't do you know what specifically what they're asking for? >> well, i understand everybody's a little frustrated with where we're at. but here's the thing. we have a very thin majority. everybody understands the southern border is the biggest issue. the other thing is this country has got way too much debt. we've got to deal with that. but we can't do it until we certify and get us the speaker of the house. it's absolutely setting us back. it's time to move. it's time to vote and put mike johnson as the speaker of the house of representatives. >> okay. that's the first sentiment that i'm hearing a lot here in the halls here, dana, frustration from all of johnson's allies about what's happening on the floor. dana. thank you for that. >> all right, manu, thank you so much. we are going to sneak in a quick break as there are serious negotiations going on behind the scenes. a lot of arm

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next. if johnson can turn this particular vote around, or whether a second vote happens imminently. let's start right now with lauren. fox is on the hill for us. lauren, what is happening behind the scenes? >> yeah, i'm outside right now of the house chamber. and it's really interesting because some of the speaker's allies and the main street caucus actually came out and spoke to reporters. and what they're trying to do right now is really downplay what a big mess this is at the moment, making clear stephanie bice, she was arguing, essentially, that this is actually a good sign for johnson because he lost just a handful of votes, that this is not really starting from back where kevin mccarthy started from back in 2023. i thought that was really interesting given the dynamics right now, there's a lot of uncertainty. there's a lot of questions about whether johnson is going to be able to get there and how quickly he can get there, but a lot of his closest allies, making it very clear to the press that they see this as a very different situation than what we saw in

2023. obviously, time is going to tell jake whether or not that is true, but there is a lot of members who are just frustrated right now about the fact that they want to get to legislating, they want to get through what is supposed to be a very first step process, something that's supposed to be pretty easy, something that republicans could rally around. a lot of them were really hoping that donald trump's endorsement was going to make a huge difference here. and while johnson got very close, he was not able so far to clinch this in the first round. obviously, there's a lot of conversations happening behind the scenes right now, jake, and we're keeping a close eye on whether or not there's anything that johnson can do in this moment. i would just note that this morning when i asked speaker johnson whether or not he would make chip roy the rules committee chairman, that's something that some conservatives have been pushing for. he said he was not making any deals, obviously, where the votes stand now, we'll see if that remains his position. jake. >> all right. thanks so much. let's go to manu raju right now. manu, a lot going on behind the scenes. i think

technically this first ballot is still open. it has not been gaveled to a close. so theoretically any of these three individuals who are house republicans who do not vote for speaker johnson, any, any two of them could change their vote and speaker johnson would be, in fact, the speaker. what are you hearing? >> yeah. in fact, we've been told by members of the house republican conference that, in fact, the speaker has been meeting privately with those two of those key no votes, as keith self of texas and ralph norman of south carolina. and in fact, just moments ago, i saw the speaker walking with ralph norman near the house floor, nowhere where i can reach them. but they were actually on the house floor. the doors had opened, and they had walked right by. so there are clearly discussions that are ongoing. exactly what the nature of the discussions are, are uncertain. but jake, you're absolutely right. the longer they keep this open suggests that perhaps they're trying to

put the pressure on to force these members to flip, to ultimately come to johnson's side. they had been told about about 20 minutes ago or so that they were going to move quickly to the second vote. something has changed. a belief clearly within the house gop leadership that perhaps that they could get these members to come on board. but jake, as we know, johnson said he was not going to be doing any deal cutting. he may be forced to do some deal cutting in order to get some of these members. keith self, for one, told me when johnson cut the deal to keep the government open up until mid-march. that happened right before christmas. he was very angry about that deal making. he said that they need to be, quote, single subject spending bills. he did not want multiple subjects on one individual bill like they did in that effort to keep the government open right before december. perhaps that's one area of negotiation that they are having right now with the speaker. can he get them there? that's the big question. but a lot of movement on the house floor as they're trying to get those two no votes to flip. jake. >> all right. manu. and let's

go over to kristin holmes now covering president elect trump. kristin, what is the president elect doing, if anything, as this all unfolds, is he calling these holdouts and saying, i need you to vote for speaker johnson right now? >> it's unclear whether or not he's in the mix on that, or if he's just letting speaker johnson handle it. we do know that he is willing to step in and likely to step in if he feels he needs to. we also know that he is following speaker johnson's lead, just for example, when it comes to endorsing johnson, he wanted to do it later in the week this week, and instead johnson asked him to do it earlier. he said it was important, and trump followed that lead. now, i did speak to a number of senior advisers and allies as we watch this vote unfold, who all said that they believe johnson will ultimately still be successful. they pointed to various numbers. they reminded me that they didn't know about several of these holdouts, how they were going to vote, but ultimately they did come around. they also believe that it is going to be possible to flip at least two of those votes. one source telling me,

look, massie is the only hard no, everybody else, the other two, they want to make a point. okay. point made. we still believe johnson has this. we are still backing mike johnson at this point. so whether or not it ends up being this round, if it ends up being another round, they would not speculate as to how long this could take. there is still a belief among those close to donald trump that his endorsement did go very far, and that johnson is going to ultimately be the speaker of the house. >> interesting. let's talk more about what's going on right now. and former speaker mchenry, i have to say, we keep hearing that speaker johnson has not made any deals with anybody. you can color me a little skeptical. this is a room full of 435 of the most ambitious human beings on the face of the planet, many of them with ambition that far exceeds intellect or other ability not present, present company accepted. i said many, not all. many. but my point is, they're very ambitious. the

idea that a well, i'm not going to throw out any names, but the idea that some people who are either forces in congress or potential speakers themselves. and you got to figure there are a few dozen that probably think that they could be as good, if not better, speaker, than mike johnson. i am just skeptical that no deals were cut. and i don't mean that in any pejorative sense. i would expect nothing less from any speaker of the house, regardless of party. >> so if you're running the house of representatives or you're running any legislative body in america, right, you're running a school board, you're on a neighborhood association. you say as a negotiating stance there are no deals, right? that is always the opening bid for a deal. that is how it works. >> there are no deals, but the trash is going to pick you. pick up your garbage first. >> we will not negotiate with terrorists, right? unless the terrorists have the vote necessary for me to have you win the election. that's the way it works. and so speaker johnson may have said there are no deals, but along the way, you make commitments. the steering committee process for

committee assignments, who's on the rules committee, who's on the intelligence committee, who's on the house administration committee? those are three committees purely in the gift of the speaker and the minority leader. >> also, maybe a hideaway in the capital. >> oh, yeah, real estate is supremely important. my colleague and friend, garrett graves, who was instrumental in electing speaker mccarthy, he, french hill and i were the key part of the negotiating team two years ago. got one of the most beautiful hideaway offices in the capitol with a beautiful view of the mall, and i would walk down the hall from my hideaway in the capitol as a committee chair to go admire his view. and then tell him what i thought of it. but but we're in a situation here where there is no deal with massie. you cannot offer thomas massie anything. yeah. number one. number two. uh, keith self and ralph norman, it is unclear to us right now if they want something or they want johnson's head. do they want some other speaker?

is that what they're holding out for? they may have offered things publicly, but what they're talking to johnson about right now has got to be substantially different than what they've said publicly. if, if, if any history is a guide, let me bring in doug heye, who was a top staffer for former republican. >> i think he was republican leader eric cantor. is that right, doug? he was. yes. okay. sorry. going back a few decades there. not that long. tell me what you think. well, it seems like another century, quite frankly. tell me what you think is likely going on right now. again, time has stopped. still in the house of representatives . that first ballot has still not gaveled to a close. which means that speaker johnson and his team are negotiating theoretically with the six former abstentions who then voted for johnson and the the two no votes, who are theoretically gettable. what do you think is going on? >> it's communications and it's conversations, and it's exactly as as congressman mchenry, former congressman mchenry. i don't like saying that he was my favorite member

of congress, laid out. what do you need? what can we get for you so we can bring you into the yes column with thomas massie? we know that there's nothing with the other two. then the other six, right? so we now total the nine who voted not to elect the speaker. you're trying to get them to. yes. and the problem i think the challenge that we have right now for speaker johnson, and i do expect that he'll he'll ultimately win on this next ballot, is that we've seen these same tactics played time and time again. we're talking earlier about john boehner's election in 2013, and i was reminded of the the very famous quote by ron burgundy. we've been coming to the same party for 12 years, and in no way is that depressing. except this is depressing. it's demoralizing as a republican, and even for democrats who are eating their popcorn and enjoying the moment, they know this isn't good for the country because this isn't the senate majority leader where whoever that is matters. but it's not a constitutional role. the speaker of the house is in line for the presidency. it's a constitution and nothing

begins. no committees, no bills, no anything until we elect a speaker. >> very interesting stuff. and ashley etienne, the idea of deals being cut again, i don't say that pejoratively. that's how congress works. but surely when she was speaker, nancy pelosi had to cut deals in order to get some of the recalcitrant progressives on her left demanding more, not to mention maybe some of the moderates? absolutely. >> you remember in 2018, when she was up for speakership, there were questions about whether or not she was the right person, whether she was too old. so there was seth moulton of massachusetts challenging her. absolutely. you had we had an issue with the the squad. i mean, there were a lot of factions within the party that she had to individually bring in and negotiate. so i do challenge the former speaker's notion that she starts at a you start at a no. i mean, she absolutely didn't had her list and would tick off just each of the members. >> sorry to interrupt. i just want to note that speaker johnson has returned to the floor of the house. he is

talking to hakeem jeffries and others. perhaps some some movement. can we can we can we listen in there or what? let's just watch. in any case, go ahead. >> i was just going to say, but the challenge here is that what the freedom caucus wants, johnson can't deliver on. that's the the ultimate challenge here. they want a cut in spending. donald trump doesn't want that. they want democrats not to be involved and to to help pass some of these bills. but the margin is too close and too tight. so yeah, i mean, there is there is room for negotiation. so i think if he's smart, he's doing that. >> now, what is going on right now? former speaker mchenry. we have the republican leader and the democratic leader talking. what's that all about? >> it's about the courtesy of the schedule. you have members here described. we described this at the very beginning. it's an exciting day. the lights are bright. the chamber is just live. everything's coiled from the election to opening day. everything just gets. all the pressure comes. and this is supposed to be the release valve of just the joy

that you're in charge, or the joy you're a member of congress. there is keith self talking to speaker johnson. there is ralph norman. >> so those two gentlemen right there are the are two of the three no votes. is that right? >> that's right. >> and the guy with the glasses is keith self. >> yeah. and that's the back of mike johnson's head. there's the former head of the freedom caucus scott perry. this all looks pretty jovial and positive. what what hakeem jeffries was asking about with johnson is the schedule members have families here. it's opening day stuff. can you just let us know so we can get people back here? let's just have some basic courtesy. and that's why it's just a lighthearted moment between the two. >> and that's ralph norman right there. it looks like he's going to change his vote. that's him with the gray hair and then keith self behind him. it looks like they are about to change their votes so that johnson actually will win on the first ballot in this space where time the space time continuum is, is upset. >> and there's speaker johnson

and dusty johnson of south dakota, who was a key negotiator here for the speaker. what? there are two pieces of news here. first, we'll see that the mike johnson is elected speaker of the house in short order here. and the second piece of news will be what transpired. what did they get? what did they get? >> yeah. it's fascinating stuff. and we presume that the gentleman with the glasses who is texas congressman keith self and the gentleman with white hair leaning on the desk, the gentleman with no hair is keith self okay? >> and the guy behind him is andy ogles of tennessee. >> oh, the guy with no hair. okay, i see that is keith self. and then the gentleman here we go. let's listen in. mr. amara walker mr. norman is recorded as jordan

house will be in order. >> mr. norman johnson. >> okay. now go to mr. sa'ar. report. >> mr. self is recorded as donald's johnson. mr. self johnson. >> all right. so there we go. so congressman mike johnson is now officially speaker mike

johnson. there were two no votes two votes for other house republicans ralph norman voted for tom emmer. and keith self voted for byron donalds. and keith self, who is about to start, i think his sophomore term. and norman have now officially changed their votes after this, after some negotiation, presumably. so i stand corrected. you were correct. speaker johnson did win on the first ballot. barely, barely, barely. >> but it barely matter. a win's a win. a w is a w, and this was this is tough. and what we saw is the last vote was was voiced around 1:40 p.m. here we are 50 minutes later with a lot of back back room negotiating to get the final deal done. >> yes. no. i mean, compared to what we saw with speaker mccarthy, this is a this is a landslide victory. 218 to 215 what's done is done. and speaker johnson is there, although i have to say and i'm sure he's

he's rejoicing. this was a muscle flexing of a minority of the party of the republican party. nine members demonstrating to speaker johnson, we can take you down if we want to. according to the new house rules, and we can make your life very difficult. please pay attention to us or not. please pay attention to us. >> yeah. flexing. maybe it was a spasm, i don't know. i mean, remember, ultimately maybe some of my colleagues here today will want to revise and extend their remarks about the relative influence of donald trump. he is the head of the republican party. he wanted johnson. johnson's going to get it on the first ballot. after a little bit of conversation on the house floor, that is that is unequivocally a good thing. we're not we're not going to sit here for 18 ballots or whatever. we're not going to sit here all night here at 230 in the afternoon. the republican party is showing that it can unify itself in relatively short order for the purpose of helping donald trump get started on his agenda for republican voters all over the country. this will be a really a piece of really good news

this afternoon. >> i mean, johnson won and scott's happy. and when scott's happy, i'm happy always. but i will say kristen soltis anderson, i just want to put a flag in this moment because these nine individuals made it clear to speaker johnson, we can take you down. >> they sent a message, and the math does not get better from here. note that there were at least two names that were mentioned who who voted today, who will likely not be part of the house of representatives in just a couple of weeks. stefanik and wallace, because they have been nominated to important positions by donald trump. so this is just the beginning. if this is supposed to be the easiest vote, it does not get easier from here. >> i was about to say this is the easiest vote, and it really wasn't that easy today. >> and so this does not bode well. let's listen, let's listen i see that gavel coming down. >> let's listen in. >> on the tellers agree in

their tallies that the total number of votes cast is 434, of which the honorable mike johnson of the state of louisiana has received 218. he honorable hakeem jeffries of the state of new york has received 215.

the. and the honorable tom emmer of the state of minnesota has received one. therefore, the honorable mike johnson of the state of louisiana, having received a majority of the votes cast, is duly elected speaker of the house of representatives for the 119th congress. the clerk appoints the following committee to escort the speaker elect to the chair the gentleman from louisiana. mr. scalise. the gentleman from

new york. mr. jeffries, the gentleman from minnesota. mr. emmer, the gentleman from massachusetts. miss clark, the gentlewoman from michigan. mrs. mcclain, the gentleman from california. mr. aguilar, the gentleman from north carolina. mr. hudson, the gentleman from california. mr. liu, the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. hearn, the gentleman from colorado. mr. neguse, the gentleman from utah. mr. moore, the gentlewoman from washington. miss delbene, the gentlewoman from indiana. mrs. houchin, the gentleman from new york. mr. morelli, the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. reschenthaler, the gentlewoman from michigan. mrs. dingell and the members of the louisiana delegation. mr. higgins, miss. letlow, mr. carter and mr. fields. the committee will retire from the chamber to escort the speaker elect to the chair.

>> yes. >> so as we wait for the escort committee that was just named to meet with the now reelected house speaker, mike johnson, let's talk about what just happened. and kasie hunt, as we heard from our colleagues with jake, certainly this is the one that is supposed to be easy. it wasn't easy, but it happened and it happened, you know, with blood, sweat and tears. but it did happen on the first round, and it could have been harder. >> and we did go back and forth. you know, mr. burchett was here saying they had gaveled that vote. there was going to be a second vote. as it turned out, they changed their votes at the end, which means that johnson does get to say he did this on the first ballot, and he clearly was

also, i think, trying to demonstrate strength by going to the floor without cutting these deals. right, saying this is what how i'm going to do it. ultimately, he had to with that kind of show of force from these people that could ultimately strip him. >> and the question right now that i have that i'm trying to get that i know our terrific team on the hill is trying to get is what happened in that room. >> yeah. i mean, that will be the next part of this story is what what did they get? how did their votes change. but listen. yes, these nine sort of put mike johnson on this. mike johnson didn't need notice. he seized the math of what his majority is the slimmest in 100 years. so he understands the the problematic path he has ahead to get trump's legislative agenda through in a clean way. in this first year of full republican control in washington, the fact that it took a little bit longer than it normally does, that will be a blip in history here. the reality is going to be the legislative work that is now ahead of him. i will just

say, i don't think voters put too much stock in all of this. this they will focus a lot more on what this new unified republican control of washington attempts to deliver for the american people. >> and the person on the left with the goatee, chip roy, he is one of the people, despite the fact that he was a holdout at the beginning. and then he ended up voting for mike johnson. he is one of the people who is going to determine the answer to that question. david, i want to go to manu raju. manu, what are you hearing about what happened in that room, how those two. uh, those two holdouts flipped? did donald trump call? >> well, that is one of the things that we are we are still chasing down here. dana, it does seem that there was some pressure that was exerted from them, from the person who has endorsed mike johnson, that, of course, donald trump. we do know that mike johnson just came out of the house floor and spoke to our colleague andy

greer and said that there is he did not cut any backroom deals. that's one thing that he has been saying all along that he didn't cut any backroom deals. and in fact, i just caught up with some other folks who were familiar with what's happening, and they indicated that as well, that that was not part of the negotiations. so they said there was no horse trading. we still have to learn a bit more of the details there, but that is one key piece here, dana, that the speaker said that he didn't give anything up. remember when kevin mccarthy won the speakership? there were a lot of concessions that he ultimately had to make, putting some people in some key committee positions or making other commitments as well. some of those were not even written down. they were just discussions between some members and the like that ultimately got him the speakership. we'll see. johnson contends he didn't make any deals, but we'll try to learn more as we talk to more sources about all those conversations that happened, because there were a lot, as we saw play out in real time on the floor. >> yeah, and that's really interesting, manu, that the speaker said to andy greer that

he didn't cut any deals. um, you know, as we report out and i'm sure it's just a matter of minutes before you learn, and lauren fox learns what happened in that room. exactly what did happen. uh, it is my impression that there was a phone call that came into that room. i don't know for sure who that phone call was from. i can't imagine that it wasn't somebody who has a lot of sway. and there's really only one person who has a lot of sway right now, and that. and that is donald trump. >> but yeah, that would seem very likely. remember what happened when when kevin mccarthy was struggling to get the votes himself on the house floor? there was that famous photo back in january 2023 of of congresswoman marjorie taylor greene handing over her cell phone with the initials rt on her cell phone to a congressman who was on was opposed to kevin mccarthy, and try to get him to talk to trump on the house floor so that would certainly

be expected that trump is really the one person in which some of these members would listen to. keith self is a very conservative member from texas, someone who is very much aligned ideologically with donald trump. ralph norman actually endorsed nikki haley in the republican primary. he then too, of course, from south carolina. but norman ultimately did, back, ultimately did back. um, uh, ultimately did back trump in the primary to try to grab some of these members to hear as they're running off the floor and some of them were involved in some of these discussions and perhaps get some more details. but at the moment, dana, we know that those two members flipped after considerable discussion behind the scenes. >> manu, i'm going to let you go do your thing and and report and talk to those members coming off the floor. i'm actually here now with congresswoman stephanie bice of the great state of oklahoma. thank you so much for running over here from the capitol. uh,

what is your understanding of what happened in that room? >> well, i think there were certainly a few members that had concerns, and i think they voiced that by abstaining from voting. originally, three members decided that they wanted to vote for a different speaker candidate. but in the end, i think we all recognize that mike johnson is the perfect person for this role and will continue on in the 109th congress as speaker of the people's house. >> i'm guessing you weren't in the negotiations. >> i have been in negotiations off and on for the last couple of months, but in the last hour, i was not part of those negotiations. >> so do you have any idea if mike johnson told our colleague that he didn't horse trade, that he didn't give up anything? uh, do you have any idea? i'm not saying that you're going to tell me that mike johnson isn't telling the truth, but if you have any idea if there was anything, maybe just just short of that, that he absolutely stuck to his deal. >> he was very clear with all of the members that he was not going to negotiate to get to the speakership. i think that's really the challenge

that speaker mccarthy had is that he had made some deals that some members were not happy with. and so speaker johnson was clear to all of us that he was not going to negotiate to get that chairmanship. and i believe him. >> you are about to get sworn in for the third time for your third term in in the house, the first time was covid, so it wasn't exactly your normal first day of congress, normal swearing in two years ago. you had to wait however many days until kevin mccarthy, six days. so presumably in just a little while, you're going to get sworn in as your family here. >> my my youngest daughter is here. my oldest daughter and husband are at home watching. um, i haven't had the opportunity to have my entire family see me sworn in, which is kind of a funny given. this is my third time, but hopefully at least one of my kiddos will get to see me sworn in today. >> and i want to bring casey in here in a second. but before i do, what does

this tell you? this drama and suspense, all for the past few hours on the floor. tell you about the challenge that you are going to have in this slimmest of majorities that you are in and actually governing and getting through the soon to be president's agenda. >> look, i think that the american people gave us a directive, and that is to change the trajectory of the country, and we're excited for that opportunity. but governing is messy sometimes. and i think we've proven that not only today but over the last two years. but we'll get there. there's a lot of important work that the american people are expecting us to do. you know, work on the economy, improving the economy, securing our southern border. these are important things for my state. energy dominance is incredibly important. and so we're looking forward to getting to work as quickly as possible to implement the america first agenda. >> casey, congresswoman, you said that you believe the house speaker when he says to our andy greer that he didn't cut a backroom deal if he didn't cut a backroom deal, and we'll

say, okay, you believe him? we're willing to give him that. what did he do in that hour? >> well, i think he listened. that's one of the things that mike johnson has done remarkably well is listening to all of the concerns that members may have. you know, keep in mind that he was elected to this role 14 months ago, just as a rank and file member. he was secretary of the conference, but really had no leadership roles prior to that. and so it's a tough, i think, road to be thrown into this incredible responsibility. and he's done a remarkable job. and part of that has been listening. >> do you think part of what happened today was this set of members giving a shot across the bow that says to the house speaker, we could remove you under the, the, the terms of the new rules if we wanted to. >> so we talked a little bit about negotiations prior to today, and i have been part of the negotiations and making sure that that motion to vacate threshold has been increased. it will be nine. so not a single member will have the opportunity to remove a speaker of the house. and i think that's important. um, you

know, there are going to be people that may not agree with every decision that speaker johnson makes, but i think removing the speaker is going to be something that is off the table moving forward. >> that's really critical because kevin mccarthy, uh, was kind of on a knife's edge the entire time he was speaker because, as you said, that was a mistake that he made. it didn't seem like he had much of a choice, but he did horse trade, and that was one of the things he agreed to, which is to allow himself to be thrown out at any given moment just by one person. and mike johnson is going to have have his work cut out for him with the slim majority. that's right. but it's going to be a lot harder for the people who don't agree with him to take his gavel away. >> that's correct. and i think that we as sort of governing members, i'm a part of the main street caucus, and we want to make sure that we have an opportunity to govern. that doesn't mean if you disagree with the speaker that you file a motion to vacate, which has happened. we want to make sure

that we're, you know, using the appropriate processes and procedures to govern. but we have to do the work, the hard work to get this country back on track. and having a one vote motion to vacate threshold is not a conducive to governing. and that's why we had to change it. >> congresswoman, thank you so much. congratulations in advance. getting sworn in with at least some members of your family here. thanks for sitting out. it's getting cold out here. i appreciate it. jake, back to you. >> thanks, dana. so let's take stock on what congress is going to look like given this relatively orderly speaker vote, but still with some indications of potential trouble to come, let's let's start with manu raju on the hill. manu, what are you hearing? >> yeah, we're hearing from multiple sources that donald trump, in fact, did weigh in late. in fact, he spoke to ralph norman and keith self. those are the two republican congressmen who initially voted for a different republican candidate for speaker. but

trump, according to our sources, sources are telling me, as well as annie generapr and lauren fox, that in fact, they did have a conversation with the president elect and the president elect message, i'm told, was essentially get this done. he wanted to get this done. he was concerned about how this could hurt his agenda. then afterwards, there was a closed door meeting that occurred between the speaker as well as others, and the discussion was about being more inclusive of these rank and file members wanting more, say, in the legislative process. and ultimately, there were some commitments that were made that sounded good enough for these members that ultimately got them to yes. now, one of those members who is part of the discussions, i just caught up with is congressman dusty johnson of south dakota. you may have seen him on the house floor himself. speaking to mike johnson, the speaker of the house, and then going over and meeting with some members. i got a chance to talk to him, and he indicated, jake, that that those meetings were very productive. and, jake, i'm going to toss this back to you. >> let's listen

in.

lake lively so, former speaker mchenry, we see the new speaker of the house, mike johnson, returning to his job. he's got the congratulations of well wishers. a good moment for him, a good moment for president-elect trump, but still an indication that there are going to be it's going to be difficult to manage a four vote majority soon to be two vote majority. >> he's got an enormously challenged position, obviously, with the narrow house. but this is a special moment. this is a special moment where he gets to lay out how he wants to treat members, the institution and his message to the american people. a rare moment for

speakers to be able to talk directly to the american people. but this this challenge of this one vote that took a long time, um, shows that it's going to be a dicey run for this house republican majority. just to be fair about it. but it's enabled and his speakership is enabled by having president donald trump in office and without donald trump, this vote might have been a different outcome. um, based off the final two holdouts and the the reportage that manu just shared from the cnn team. so it really is a it's a special statement about having it be one vote. that's a rewarding thing. i can tell you after two years ago, um, and but winning is the key. and this speaker knows that without president trump, that gavel may not be his. >> yeah. very interesting. let's listen in. we expect the democratic leader, minority leader hakeem jeffries of new

york, to give a speech followed by the newly elected, newly reelected speaker, mike johnson of louisiana. as the house comes to order. let's listen in. >> speaker johnson. speaker emerita pelosi, it's great to see you back in the chamber. whip clark. chairman aguilar, thank you for your kind and generous words of nomination to my colleagues in government. new members of congress, families, friends, all those assembled. it's a high honor and a distinct privilege to welcome you to the

people's house and the 119th congress. the bible teaches us in ecclesiastes, the third chapter, first verse, that for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. it's fair to say that in a democracy there's a time to campaign and a time to govern. the election is over. this is a new congress. the american people need us as their elected representatives in this season to put down our partisan swords and pick up bipartisan plowshares. it's time for us to come together, not as democrats or republicans, but as americans,

to get things done for the people in that spirit, house democrats will work hard to find bipartisan common ground with our republican colleagues and the incoming administration on any issue. whenever and wherever possible, in order to make life better for everyday americans. for far too long in this country, the cost of living has gone up. but the size of the middle class has come down. housing costs are too high, grocery costs are too high, childcare costs are too high. insurance costs are too high. utility costs are too high. america is too expensive. there are far too many people

in this great country who for decades have been struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. that is not acceptable in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. we need to build an affordable economy for hard working american taxpayers, and we need to build it now. it's time for us to come together and finally lower the high cost of living in the united states of america once and for all. and we will work with anyone of any party to get that done. we will work with anyone to secure our borders, and we will work with anyone to fix our broken immigration system in a comprehensive and

bipartisan manner. at the same period of time. at the same period of time, we will push back against far right extremism whenever necessary. so let me be clear. social security and medicare are not entitlement programs. they are earned benefits hard working american taxpayers pay in to social security and medicare every day, every week, every month, every year, throughout their entire adult life. they've earned those benefits, worked hard for those benefits, and deserve those benefits. so as democrats are, promise to the american people is that we will fight hard to make sure

that no one in this town takes away social security or medicare from the american people. not now, not ever. no means never our position is that it is not acceptable to cut social security, cut medicare, cut medicaid, cut veterans benefits, or cut nutritional assistance from children and families in order to pay for massive tax breaks for billionaires and wealthy corporations. house democrats will fight hard to protect working class americans and the things that matter to them, not the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected. keepr