Polls show House Speaker Mike Johnson is increasingly unpopular with fellow Republicans, while more Democrats view him favorably. Three April surveys by the Economist and YouGov show falling disapproval among Democrats and a collapse in support from Republicans.
Before he helped pass a $95 billion aid package in mid-April, 50% of Trump voters expressed approval of Mr. Johnson, as did 44% of Republicans more broadly. Simultaneously, only 14% of Democrats felt positively about the Speaker. After the bill’s passage, Johnson’s popularity fell to 47% among Trump supporters, and his disapproval figure rose from 18% to 27%. The same survey showed Democrat disapproval had fallen from 61% to 53%. A week later, just 41% of Trump voters backed him, and Democrat disapproval fell again, from 53% to 51%.
On May 1, House Democrats indicated that they would save Mr. Johnson if Republicans moved to vacate the chair and oust him from the Speakership. Top Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, said they would oppose moves by Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene to remove Johnson, saying, “The time has come to turn the page on this chapter of Pro-Putin Republican obstruction.”
A furious Marjorie Taylor Greene responded on Twitter, saying Johnson is now effectively a Democrat leader. She asked what “slimy deal” the Speaker may have made behind closed doors and urged him to resign and cross the floor to the Democrats.
In a press conference on Capitol Hill, Taylor Greene revealed a baseball cap emblazoned with “MUGA,” or Make Ukraine Great Again. She placed the hat on top of an image of Johnson shaking hands with Democrat leader Jeffries and said the “uniparty” is “all about” funding foreign wars. She promised to pursue her campaign to remove the Speaker’s gavel from Mr. Johnson.
Addressing Ms. Taylor Greene’s controversial actions, Speaker Johnson denounced her, saying she was not a “serious lawmaker.” He added that he does not spend time thinking about the Georgia firebrand because he has a job to do.
