Trump to host embattled Speaker Mike Johnson as House swirls in turmoil

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is making a campaign pilgrimage to visit Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, a rite of passage as the embattled Republican leader positions himself, and his GOP majority, side-by-side with the indicted ex-president.

The two are planning a joint announcement on election integrity ahead of November, but the trip itself is significant for both. Johnson needs Trump to temper hard-line Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s threats to evict him from office. And Trump benefits from the imprimatur of official Washington dashing to Florida to embrace his comeback bid for the White House and his tangled election lies.

“It is the symbolism,” said Charlie Sykes, a conservative commentator and frequent Trump critic.

“There was a time when the Speaker of the House of Representatives was a dominant figure in American politics,” he said. “Look where we are now, where he comes hat in hand to Mar-a-Lago.”

Having the House speaker and the presidential contender align for the campaign season is not in itself surprising or even unexpected, a typical arrangement as the party builds a coordinated effort of resources and proposals to present to voters in the fall.

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