President Donald Trump reportedly told associates behind closed doors this week that he is "the speaker and the president," a clarification that House Speaker Mike Johnson apparently found both accurate and reassuring.
The comment, shared with The New York Times by two people with knowledge of Trump's remarks, came as Johnson entered his 25th consecutive day of refusing to reconvene Congress, a bold legislative strategy that critics say has done little to challenge the president's assessment of who actually runs the House of Representatives.
Sources close to the situation report that when Johnson's lips move, it's increasingly Trump's voice that comes out, though the Speaker's office insists this is merely an impressive feat of ventriloquism and not at all indicative of any power dynamic concerns.
Johnson has suspended Congress indefinitely since October 1, demonstrating his fierce independence by doing exactly what the president wants while the government shutdown threatens to become the longest in American history. The Speaker has spent his time defending Trump's decision to pardon convicted con man George Santos because the administration believes in "redemption," though apparently not for the three of Trump's political enemies currently being prosecuted.
Johnson has also steadfastly refused to swear in Democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, who would hold a key vote on releasing Epstein files, explaining that he simply has no authority to perform the basic constitutional duty that is literally his job. When pressed about not calling the House back to work, Johnson maintained that "the House has done its job," apparently referring to some alternative House that exists in a dimension where shutting down operations counts as job performance.
The New York Times noted that Johnson's approach, "born of political expedience," could have "far-reaching consequences for an institution that has already ceded much of its power to President Trump," though it remains unclear what additional power Johnson has left to cede beyond his office space and personal dignity.
