As Speaker of the House Mike Johnson To maintain his role, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisc., took aim at fellow Republican Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., who has indicated he is “undecided” on whether he will vote for Johnson.
president-elect Donald Trump endorsed Johnson for the position this week, but Roy noted during an appearance on Fox Business that he doesn’t think the speaker will get the votes needed to win in the upcoming vote on Friday.
Van Orden claimed in a post on X that Trump “received a mandate from the American people in November,” while Roy “did not.”
“It’s the America First Agenda, not the Chip Roy First Agenda. It’s Make America Great Again, not make Chip Roy Great. President Trump is fighting for America, Chip is fighting to keep his brand marketable,” Van Orden claimed.
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Left: Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., talks to the media before a vote on a continuing resolution to fund the government at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024; Right: Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., arrives at a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on May 22, 2024. (Left: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Right: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“Some people apparently need to understand that to be a leader you must first learn to follow. I would like to work with Chip, but he needs to understand that he can be part of the team, but that is in no way possible.” for heaven’s sake he’s the captain. The Captain will be moving back to the White House soon and his first lieutenant is @SpeakerJohnson,” Van Orden stated in the post.
Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for Roy to request comment from the congressman.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has said he will not vote for Johnson for chairman.
Roy has noted that he is “undecided” about Johnson but demands change.
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Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., is seen outside the U.S. Capitol following the final votes before the August recess on July 25, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
“@RepThomasMassie will not vote for Hakeem Jefferies, unlike the Republican Party who voted with the Democrats (more Democrats than the Republican Party each time) to spend some $3 trillion and give $61 billion to Ukraine without border security,” Roy said in a post on
“The reason I’m still unsure about the Speaker’s vote (as opposed to a hard no) is that it’s not SOLELY @SpeakerJohnson’s fault and my desire is to give him grace and @realDonaldTrump the space to make a strong agenda to deliver on what we were elected for But something MUST change,” he noted.
Johnson’s path to victory is precarious, and he could be derailed if another Republican joins Massie in vigorously opposing Johnson’s bid to retain the presidency.
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Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is seen outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
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Fox News Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram explained: “The winning candidate must receive an outright majority of all members voting for a named candidate.”
Pergram described a possible scenario in which just two Republicans could prevent Johnson from reaching the threshold needed to win. “So let’s say there are 434 members and they all vote for someone by name. The magic number is 218. If Johnson gets the votes of all 219 Republicans, he wins. If Johnson gets 218 votes, he also wins. But 217? No dice,” Pergram noted.
