Donald Trump has thrown a lifeline to embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson, saying the Republican leader of Congress is doing a "very good job."
Trump defended Johnson against the actions of Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, who called for a vote to impeach the president.
"This is not an easy situation for any speaker," Trump said as Johnson stood by his side at the former president's Mar-a-Lago estate.
Johnson traveled to Florida to meet with Trump, a sign of the businessman's undisputed leadership in the party.
After their meeting, the two expressed concern about potential fraud in November's presidential election and touched on the issue of aid to Ukraine, a topic that has caused rifts in the Republican Party.
On another divisive issue, Trump softened his support for abortion rights. He said that as president he reshaped the U.S. Supreme Court, leading to the court's June 2022 repeal of the constitutional right to abortion.
"We did something that everybody said couldn't be done," Trump said of the Supreme Court ruling overturning abortion protections.
Trump has regained political momentum to the right as he seeks a return to the presidency this November, and has exerted a powerful grip on Congress — notably managing the Republican block on US military aid to Ukraine.
The former president explained that he prefers Washington to provide loans for the defense of Ukraine, rather than direct aid.
For Johnson, the trip from Washington to Trump comes as he tries to fend off his party's discontent, which threatens to oust him from the presidency.
Johnson is trying to balance the demands of relatively moderate members of his party and Democrats to pass bills, including aid to Ukraine. No result so far.
Biden is asking Congress to approve a $60 billion military aid bill. But even though Republicans and Democrats have united in the Senate, Johnson has so far refused to even schedule a vote in the House of Representatives.
He said he would soon introduce a bill to tighten requirements for potential voters to prove their citizenship status before casting a ballot.
"We cannot wait for widespread fraud to occur, especially when the threat of fraud grows with each illegal immigrant who crosses the border," Johnson said. /BGNES
