Republican Says Trump Called Him After He Voted Against Speaker Johnson, You Won’t Believe What He Said

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) told CNN that he changed his stance on supporting Mike Johnson as House Speaker after a phone call with President-elect Donald Trump, who was playing golf at the time.

On Friday, House Republicans reached enough votes for Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, to remain Speaker after two of the three GOP members initially against him changed their votes.

Norman, one of the holdouts, told CNN’s Manu Raju that he had multiple calls with Trump that day. During one call, Trump mentioned he was on the golf course and pressed Norman to back Johnson. According to Norman, Trump assured him that conservatives would be included in policy discussions if Johnson stayed as Speaker.

Norman shared, “Trump told me, ‘I’m in the middle of a golf game.’ He also said, ‘You voted for Nikki Haley.’ I told him, ‘Yes, but we’re with you now, and we’ll support Mike Johnson.’”

Initially, Norman voted for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) instead of Johnson. However, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) reportedly connected Trump with Norman and Rep. Keith Self (R-TX), convincing both to change their votes.

The Washington Post reported that Mace handed her phone to Norman during the negotiations, allowing Trump to directly appeal to him and Self. Both eventually switched their votes in favor of Johnson.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), however, stood firm, saying before the vote that he would not support Johnson, even under pressure.