Mike Johnson Has Short Message for Marjorie Taylor Greene

House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a short message to Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene this week after her motion to vacate his seat failed.

Greene's motion was shot down on Wednesday, with just 10 Republicans voting with her. The overwhelming majority of the House voted to table her motion.

Johnson appeared on Fox News' Fox & Friends on Thursday and revealed what he told the Georgia Republican on the House floor after the vote.

"I don't hold grudges, I got to work with everybody," Johnson said. "I told her last night before we left the floor, 'Let's move on Marjorie, I'm ok with this, let's move on.'"

When asked how Greene responded, Johnson told Fox & Friends that Greene said, "I think we'll have an opportunity to do that."

Newsweek reached out to Greene's spokesperson via email for comment.

The Context

Johnson has faced continued criticism from Greene over the past several months. The congresswoman introduced a motion to vacate his seat in March after he worked across the aisle to pass a $1.2 trillion federal spending package that avoided a partial government shutdown.

The House overwhelmingly voted to table the motion by a margin of 359 to 43, with 196 Republicans and 163 Democrats voting against the proposal. The 43 House members who voted against blocking Greene's measure to remove Johnson consisted of 11 Republicans and 32 Democrats.

What We Know

Johnson also faced criticism from Greene for gaining bipartisan support to pass the foreign aid spending packages last month, including a measure that authorizes an additional $60.8 billion in assistance to Ukraine for its defense against Russia.

Johnson took over as House speaker after Republicans voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the position in October.

Videos shared on social media during Greene's proposal appeared to show some House members booing the Georgia Republican.

Views

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, following the vote, Greene said, "All the scary bad things they all told you would happen if I called the motion to vacate didn't happen. They said 'Democrats would take control of the House and Jeffries would become Speaker because Republicans only have the majority with one seat.' Didn't happen."

"Instead, Democrats voted to save Johnson because they knew it was impossible to take control of the House and they want to keep Johnson because he's given them everything they want," Greene said.

North Dakota Republican Representative Kelly Armstrong told CNN's Manu Raju that Greene's effort to vacate was "the congressional version of a temper tantrum."

In a post on Truth Social, former President Donald Trump said, "I absolutely love Marjorie Taylor Greene. She's got Spirit, she's got Fight, and I believe she'll be around, and on our side, for a long time to come. However, right now, Republicans have to be fighting the Radical Left Democrats, and all the Damage they have done to our Country."

"With a Majority of One, shortly growing to three or four, we're not in a position of voting on a Motion to Vacate. At some point, we may very well be, but this is not the time... Mike Johnson is a good man who is trying very hard. I also wish certain things were done over the last period of two months, but we will get them done, together," Trump added.

What's Next

During his appearance on Fox & Friends, Johnson stressed Republican efforts in the coming months to win back the Senate majority and maintain it in the House. Johnson also said Republicans are "fighting to save America and preserve its founding principles."

"To get Donald Trump back in the White House," Johnson said.

Update 5/9/24, 8:03 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

Update 5/9/24, 8:34 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.