U.S. Congress Speaker election: Mike Johnson reelected [Video]

WASHINGTON –

Republican Mike Johnson won reelection to the House speakership on a first ballot Friday, pushing past GOP hard-right holdouts and buoyed with a nod of support from President-elect Donald Trump.

A collection of hardline Republicans convened in the back of the House chamber during a tense roll call on the first day of the new Congress, one by one declining to vote or choosing another lawmaker. The standoff sparked fresh turmoil signaling trouble ahead under unified GOP control of Washington.

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In the end, however, Johnson was able to flip two remaining holdouts who switched to support him, drawing applause from Republicans.

As the most recent speaker, Johnson’s weak grip on the gavel threatens not only his own survival but President-elect Trump’s ambitious agenda of tax cuts and mass deportations as Republicans sweep to power.

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