U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) made a surprising assertion about the future of the man just two heartbeats away from the presidency.
During an exchange with author and columnist Ann Coulter on her UNSAFE podcast, Massie expressed his frustration with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) because of the Speaker’s help in passing multiple aid packages to Ukraine and reauthoring the Patriot Act.
Massie told Coulter that no one wants to challenge an incumbent Speaker because, if the challenge is unsuccessful, the challenger will be ostracized, and the Speaker would then deny his challenger coveted committee chairmanships.
“So we need Trump to attack Mike Johnson?” Coulter asked Massie.
“It is going to happen,” Massie responded.
Later, he added, “Mike Johnson says he is going to carry Trump’s water, but Mike Johnson has a leaky bucket and is prone to tripping.”
Massie bolstered this point by explaining that Johnson is not doing a good job at shepherding Trump’s legislative agenda. He also told listeners that recent closed-door meetings have resulted in congressional republicans who voted for Johnson “screaming” at him in frustration.
American presidents are traditionally expected to have some legislative victory during their first 100 days after inauguration. The 100th day of Donald Trump’s second presidency will be April 30.
Although there has not been a major spending bill, and Trump is reportedly in a battle with Congress to get his mass deportation of illegal aliens agenda funded, Congress did pass the Laken Riley Act. This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain illegal aliens involved in an array of criminal offenses.
“I am not particularly attacking Mike Johnson or undermining him or anything like that,” Massie stated. “He is just not getting the job done.”
At another point in the discussion, the Kentuckian offered an alternate vision for legislative leadership: “You need somebody like [Ohio Republican congressman] Jim Jordan to be Speaker,” he said.
Massie also said that if Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) could simultaneously be made senate majority leader, “Oh my gosh, we would be kicking ass and taking names!”
Johnson’s speakership has been embattled since his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), was overthrown by members of his party in the fall of 2023.
Despite relentless attacks against Johnson, he is frequently photographed with Trump. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Johnson even appeared outside the New York courthouse where Trump stood trial to speak in Trump’s defense.
Toward the end of the podcast, Coulter and Massie discussed the Kentuckian’s political future. She asked if he would run for Senate or governor in the Bluegrass State. Massie deliberated on the merits of both options and committed to neither, but he appeared to signal that a bid for governor was not out of the realm of possibility.
The Dallas Express contacted Johnson’s office for a response to Massie’s statements but did not receive a response by the time of publication.