US House Rejects Trump-backed Speaker In First Ballot
Umer Jamshaid Published January 04, 2025 | 01:00 AM
Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jan, 2025) The new US Congress was thrown into chaos on its first day Friday as rebel right-wing Republicans defied incoming president Donald Trump to block Mike Johnson from returning as speaker of the House of Representatives.
The Louisiana congressman -- who was boosted by several messages of support from Trump -- needed a simple majority to be elected as Washington's top legislator, who presides over House business and is second in line to the presidency.
But divided Republicans failed to elect a speaker in the first round of voting -- raising fears of a repeat of the chaos of the last two years of their House rule -- after a nail-biting ballot that earned blanket coverage across US television networks.
The vote marked another embarrassment for Trump, who was shown the limits of his sway over House Republicans for a second time after they rebuffed his demands for a suspension of the country's borrowing limit in December.
Trump's looming presidential inauguration raises the stakes of the speakership fight, since the House can do nothing until its leader is decided -- including completing the certification of the 78-year-old Republican's victory, set for Monday.
The contest now goes to a second round, but Johnson risks losing Trump's support if that battle drags out, which would likely prompt moderate Republicans to start casting around for other options.
Johnson needed 218 votes in the lower chamber, where the Republican majority narrowed to 219-215 as Trump was sent back to the White House in last year's historic presidential election.
