Johnson could face a challenge from a disgruntled Republican colleague eager to become the next speaker of the House post-election if Republicans succeed in holding on to their majority. A nasty interparty fight could play out similar to the chaotic scenario that unfolded last year when former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had to survive 15 rounds of votes to win the gavel that was taken away from him months later.

TOP HOUSE RACES TO WATCH IN THE 2024 ELECTION

When pressed on whether he could count on Trump’s endorsement should he face a threat for the lower chamber’s top job, Johnson told Axios that he has “a very close working relationship with President Trump and consider him now a close friend.”

“I know that’s mutual, and he tells me how much confidence he has in my leadership,” Johnson told the outlet before adding, “I expect that he’ll be fully supportive so that will make a big difference.” 

With positions that already garner significant influence in the lower chamber, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) could both be contenders to take the speaker’s gavel. Other top Republicans, such as Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) and GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), don’t appear to have their eyes set on the position, per a recent NBC News report. 

Trump appears to have already picked his side in recent public comments. While speaking at a hometown rally in Madison Square Garden Sunday evening, the former president called Johnson a “terrific person” and expressed hope that the House speaker would “be around for a long time.” 

Praising Johnson for the “great job” he’s doing despite overseeing only a slim majority in the lower chamber, Trump said, “I watched him just totally decapitate a fake reporter on NBC. Meet the press. Meet the fake press. What he did to her was, I think, that probably she’ll never be the same.”

He later joked, “Nobody would know. Look at him. Such a nice-looking guy. Just a little beautiful face with the glasses. Everyone said, ‘Oh, he’s so nice. He’s such a nice person.’ He’s not a nice person.” 

Johnson was invited to speak at the Trump rally as well. In remarks delivered ahead of Trump’s speech, he told the roughly 20,000 attendees he believed that Republicans were set to “grow” their majority in the House on Election Day after saying the lower chamber had been “the only firewall in Washington standing between Chuck Schumer and the Democrats in the Senate, Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, and the American people.” 

Johnson is looking to pick up a seat in New York’s 18th congressional District where Republican Alison Esposito is battling to oust Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY). Meanwhile, Rep. Brandon Williams (R-NY) is in a nail-biter race against Democratic state Sen. John Mannion. 

Multiple other New York Republican incumbents in the lower chamber are fighting to stave off challenges with just seven days until the election. Reps. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), who has faced blowback after reports he employed his mistress and fiancee’s daughter at his Garden City office, and Marc Molinaro (R-NY) are both in tight races rated by nonpartisan Cook Political Report as toss-ups. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) has also been engaged in a tough race against Democratic former Rep. Mondaire Jones, though Cook Political Report recently turned the odds in the Republican incumbent’s favor. 

In recent months, Trump has often suggested the Empire State is ripe for a red wave as he holds well-attended rallies in traditionally deep-blue areas such as the Bronx and Long Island. 

During Trump’s latest rally at New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden, which was filled to capacity, Johnson touted the “energy” he’s seeing for Republicans across the county and proclaimed New York is the pathway to GOP gains in the lower chamber. 

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson @MikeJohnson speaks about the energy he’s seeing across the country as America inches closer towards Election Day pic.twitter.com/xGFJWbPr8j

— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) October 27, 2024

2024 ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS ON THE TRUMP-HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL RACE

After noting that House Republicans’ slim 220 to 212 advantage marks “the smallest Republican majority in U.S. history,” Johnson added, “But you know what the good news is? We’re about to grow that majority. That’s what’s going to happen on November 5: New York is going to make that happen.” 

“You’re going to elect your incumbents here and our challengers. And you’re going to make a big difference.”