‘This is not the time’: Trump on Greene’s failed motion to oust Speaker Johnson

Hannah Murdock
·3 min read
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, of Louisiana, attend a statue unveiling ceremony of Daisy Bates, of Arkansas, Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, of Louisiana, attend a statue unveiling ceremony of Daisy Bates, of Arkansas, Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) | Jacquelyn Martin
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Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s attempt to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson was quickly rejected Wednesday in a bipartisan vote.

A vote on a motion to table Greene’s resolution succeeded 359 to 43, killing the resolution before it could make it to the floor for a vote. Democrats joined Republicans in voting to table the motion, with 163 in support of keeping Johnson, 32 against and seven voting present. Eleven Republicans voted to support Greene’s measure to oust Johnson, with 196 Republicans voting to keep Johnson, The Washington Post reported.

Johnson responds to Greene’s motion failing

After the motion to remove him as Speaker was rejected, Johnson responded by thanking his colleagues who voted against Greene’s measure.

“I want to say that I appreciate the show of confidence for my colleagues to defeat this misguided effort,” he said, per CNN. “I’ve made clear here every day, I intend to do my job, I intend to do what I believe to be the right thing, which I was elected to do. And I’ll let the chips fall where they may.”

Trump says now ‘is not the time’ to remove Johnson

Former President Donald Trump encouraged Republicans to vote for the motion to table in a post on Truth Social — “well after the motion to table vote wrapped,” Punchbowl reporter Jake Sherman wrote on X.

“I absolutely love Marjorie Taylor Greene. She’s got Spirit, she’s got Fight, and I believe she’ll be around, and on our side, for a long time to come,” Trump wrote. “However, right now, Republicans have to be fighting the Radical Left Democrats. ... With a Majority of One, shortly growing to three or four, we’re not in a position of voting on a Motion to Vacate.

“At some point, we may very well be, but this is not the time,” Trump continued.

Utah representatives vote to keep Johnson

All four of Utah’s Representatives — Republican Reps. John Curtis, Burgess Owns, Blake Moore and Celeste Maloy — voted to table Greene’s motion to vacate.

In a statement to the Deseret News, Maloy explained why she voted in favor of killing Greene’s motion.

“My constituents in Utah’s 2nd District want Congress to get to work addressing important issues like inflation, the border crisis and matters of national security,” Maloy said. “Challenges to our leadership only hurt our chances of winning the White House, increasing our majority in the House and advancing the conservative agenda that will put America back on the right track.”