Speaker Johnson interview: Harris, Walz, Trump, and unwinding at ballgames

NEW YORK — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) sat for a wide-ranging interview with The Hill in New York City on Tuesday, minutes after news broke that Vice President Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as her running mate.

Johnson — who is crisscrossing the country campaigning with House candidates this month — offered remarks on Walz and Harris, and discussed his quest to expand the GOP’s majority and retain the gavel next year.

He also commented on former President Trump’s performance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, detailed his thoughts on the upcoming government funding deadline and spoke about how he spends his rare off-time with family.

The conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

Q: Does Walz as the VP pick make it easier or harder for Republicans to run against the Democratic ticket?

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.): “It makes it easier for us. He is a far-left candidate and choice. I frankly thought that she might try to choose a moderate, but obviously she has proven once again who she is. We refer to Kamala Harris as a San Francisco radical because she is. When she was in the Senate, infamously she had the most liberal voting record of anybody, even more than Bernie Sanders.

And that’s who she is. That’s who her positions are. She has radical positions that do not line up with the American people, and I think the choice of Walz, I think just further verifies that. I mean, he’s on record in support of socialism and sanctuary cities and he wants to give driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. I mean, you know, these positions are not going to rest well with the American people. So our challenges in the election cycle is to make those positions known and not let them obscure, try to obscure their record, which they’re already attempting to do.

And the more that Kamala talks, the better off we are. I think they recognize that so they’re trying to keep her hidden and keep her on a teleprompter and very scripted. And we have a window of time to ensure that the American people are fully informed about who they really are.”

Q: Do you know Walz at all? You overlapped for two years in the House.

Johnson: “We’ve met, but I don’t know him well. That was a busy two years for us. Look, it’s not personal. I’ve made it very clear — and you probably heard me say this on the Hill before we left for the district work period — that this is a campaign about policies and not personalities, and you have to look at the policy positions.

We’re in a very dangerous time, probably as dangerous as at least the World War II era, if not more. The economy is in dire straits, the border is wide open, we have instability everywhere. And everyone needs to evaluate these two tickets and what their policies would mean for their own families.

And I think if you look at it objectively, clearly the Republican platform and positions and plans is much better than the alternative.”

Q: Early GOP commentary on the Walz selection is that this is a sigh of relief, suggesting folks were nervous about [Pennsylvania Gov.] Josh Shapiro being chosen. Do you agree this is a sigh of relief, and if so, why?

Johnson: “Clearly, Shapiro would have been a smarter choice for her, but I didn’t expect that she would do it because she has proven, once again, to be true to her principles and her priorities, and they’re not aligned with the American people.

And I think the choice of Walz is a clear sign of that. They have no intention of moderating. They would double down on the failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration. Harris, by nature, is far more progressive and radical than Joe Biden is, and now she’ll have a willing accomplice. I think that has a clear danger for the American people.”

Q: Some folks said [Pennsylvania Gov.] Josh Shapiro would be a smart pick for VP in the lead-up to Harris’s decision, citing his high approval rating in Pennsylvania. But there was some pushback to his candidacy from the left because of his position on Israel. Shapiro’s Democratic supporters have argued that he faced that criticism because he is Jewish, noting that his stance on the war in Gaza is similar to other VP contenders. Do you see Harris not picking Shapiro as at all being fueled by his Judaism?

Johnson: “I think that clearly was a major factor, is that she was reluctant to put a vice presidential nominee on a ticket with Jewish heritage because they’re having a split in the Democratic Party. They have a pro-Palestinian, in some cases pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party. I mean, think of this and the implications of it, I think, are profound.

The very first decision that Kamala Harris made after she was coronated the new prospective nominee of the party was to boycott the [Israel Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu address to Congress. And that was stunning to me. I mean, she was supposed to be sitting next to me at the rostrum behind the prime minister and she chose to go deliver a speech to a sorority instead. I mean, to me, I could not believe that she made that decision because it showed once again how they have appeased, the Biden-Harris administration has appeased Iran and the enemies of Israel, and questions and challenged Israel, who’s our critical ally, and they’ve done so because they have a division in their party and they don’t know what to do about it.

And so I, sadly for Josh Shapiro, because of his heritage I think he was, I think that is the reason he was overlooked.”

Q: Are there antisemitism undertones there?

Johnson: “I’m not gonna call it that because I don’t — I just know that that was a major factor. I think it was transparently a major factor. And I think they made a political decision that is sad, and I think they’ll regret it.”

Q: Will House Republicans fare better in November with Harris at the top of the ticket, and Walz now in the No. 2 spot?

Johnson: “I like the match-up now. I’m pleased, for our purposes, that she chose Walz because they can’t hide from their record and I don’t think it’s going to resonate with the people. We were on trajectory, prior to all of the developments of the last few weeks, to have a decisive victory in both the House and the Senate for the Republican Party. I believe that we still are on that trajectory.

The latest polling, I think [from] The Hill and Decision Desk this morning, has Trump still leading over Kamala in five of eight swing states, so we’re still on the right trajectory. And the more that our candidates and our incumbents are out there talking with the people this month about the answers that we have for all these great challenges facing the country, the contrast, the stark contrast between the two parties and the platforms, and these policies and what they mean, I think we’re in very good position to have a really great election. I’m very bullish about November.”

Q: You’re embarking on a 20-state swing this month. How’s that going? We’re in Manhattan right now — is New York the centerpiece of your effort to keep and expand the House majority?

Johnson: “New York is critical to our majority, as is California and some of the other swing states. We have extraordinary incumbents in these districts and they’re running fantastic reelection campaigns. That has been very rewarding to see. They’re outworking their opponents and in many cases they’re raising more money. And this has been encouraging because they have the right message and they have the right tone and they know their communities, they know their districts, they’re presenting a very compelling case for why they need to be re-elected.

And consequently, I believe all of our incumbents will be reelected, and I also believe we’ll be able to flip some of these seats. One of them here in New York is Alison Esposito, and that’s the Ryan seat. She’s got a great chance of winning that. She was Lee Zeldin’s running mate, when he ran for governor, as lieutenant governor, and she’s a former NYPD police officer with a great personal story.

So you have candidates like that that are of high quality, they have the right message, the right tone, I think this can be a great year for us. And I’ve been traveling nonstop. So far, I think we’ve done campaign events in — I think it’s 147 cities so far, 32 states. There’ll be 20 additional states in August, and eight of them we’re visiting for the first time.

So I’m trying to be everywhere, because that’s a Speaker’s role at a time like this. And we’re spending a lot of time in swing districts and blue states, and what we find there is that we have a, almost a demographic shift I think that’s happening in the electorate, where we have a record number of Hispanic and Latino voters and Black and African American voters, and the Jewish community is very energized right now.

All these people moving into the Republican camp because they’re looking for answers to all the challenges they’re facing. And we will provide that, and we have a record to show it, and I think that’s going to give us a very strong election cycle.”

Q: Do you have a prediction of how many seats you’ll pick up in November?

Johnson: “I don’t want to handicap it. I do think that we will have a dramatic improvement in our numbers. I mean, I had a one-vote margin, so. I think we’ll have a sizable majority.

I do not expect, nor does anyone, I don’t think, who’s paying attention, a 35- or 40-seat majority. It’s not possible anymore, because the number of swing districts has been reduced dramatically due to gerrymandering and redistricting. But I think we can have an exponential increase in our majority, and I think that’ll be very helpful.

I expect that we’ll have a Republican majority in the Senate, and I expect to have Donald Trump back in the White House. So if we have unified government, what we’re also planning in the midst of all this is a very aggressive first 100 days agenda for the Congress.

And as I’ve told my colleagues and I’ve said to President Trump multiple times, we could have the most consequential presidency and Congress of the modern era if we win all this, because we have to fix everything. The Biden-Harris administration has made a mess of every area of public policy.”

Q: There are less than three months to go until Election Day. What’s one piece of friendly advice you have for Trump in the final sprint to the election?

Johnson: “I’ve had conversations with him, even in recent days, about the campaign and our message, and I believe that he understands and agrees with my assessment that this is a contest between policies and not personalities. And the more that we highlight Kamala Harris’s actual record — not the rhetoric, but the record — I think that serves us well and will serve the country.”

Q: You mentioned policies and not personalities — what did you make of Trump comments about Vice President Harris at the [National Association of Black Journalists] conference?

Johnson: “I didn’t see the whole interview. I saw some of the highlights. I think that all of us need to be very disciplined about keeping this to the record. The interesting thing about this presidential cycle is unlike any since I think the late 1800s, is that you have two people who have actually served.

You had a Trump administration, and we have had a Biden-Harris administration. So it behooves us, because those records are so starkly contrast to highlight the records, and there’s not a single American who can objectively answer that they’re doing better right now under the Harris team than they were under the Trump administration.

We had the greatest economy in the history of the world. Every single demographic was doing better. We had no hot wars around the globe, we had liberty, opportunity, security for everyone.

And then the Biden-Harris team came in and did the opposite of what Trump did, and these are the effects. So the more we talk about that, the better off we are.”

Q: What’s your relationship like with Vice President Harris? When was the last time you spoke with her? And if the Democratic ticket wins, will you be able to work well with her? On what issues do you see common ground?

Johnson: “I give great effort to work with anyone. I don’t think that’ll be the eventuality, but I don’t know her well. The most time we spend together is standing at the rostrum at State of the Unions and joint addresses. I’ve visited with her there. Politics to me is not personal, and our Democratic, political opponents are not enemies.

I don’t see them that way. And it’s not personal. My problem with Kamala Harris is her political positions and philosophy, and I think it’s dangerous for the country. And so I think we have an obligation to ensure that she’s not in the White House.”

Q: You’ve said you want to be the leader of House Republicans next year and you’re hoping that’s in the capacity as Speaker. But you still have some detractors in the GOP conference. How much of a cushion do you think you need to remain Speaker next year?

Johnson: “I don’t know. I think the group will be much more unified going into next year if we have a successful November. I’m working really hard to make sure that that happens. And what we’re planning right now is we’re designing a very aggressive playbook for the legislative agenda in the new Congress.

And I believe that continuity will be very important in terms of leadership because the playbook, having been designed, it now has to be executed. I think everyone understands, all members of the conference understand, the stakes are so very high, and we have a huge responsibility on our hands, and I don’t think there’s going to be a big appetite for a lot of internal drama. So I think all those factors weigh in favor of maintaining stability in the leadership. And so I expect that’s what’s going to happen.

I don’t know what that comes down to for vote tally. But I was the first Republican Speaker, I think in several decades, to have been elected Speaker unanimously by my party. But governing is hard. We’ve been in a very difficult period, we had some very difficult things to do, as I told the team, we pulled ourselves through a very difficult valley but it’s much brighter on the other side.

So I’m an optimist, and I think we’ll be able to pull everybody together and we’ll have great unity going forward. And I believe we’re going to win the White House, the Senate and the House, so I think there’ll be a lot of energy and excitement behind that.”

Q: When Congress returns in September, it will be roughly two months until the election. How do you plan to fund the government and avert a shutdown? Congress will need to pass a [continuing resolution] — will it last until December or into next year?

Johnson: “I’m thinking about all those alternatives. We’re having some very thoughtful discussion about the pros and cons of the various strategies on it, and that decision is not yet determined, but it will be very soon.”

Q: Will you commit to averting a shutdown in November?

Johnson: “I don’t think it would behoove the country to have a shutdown in September, so we hope to avoid that. I think most people agree that that’s the right thing.”

Q: There will obviously need to be a CR in September, right?

Johnson: “I don’t think anything’s obvious. We have funded 73 percent of the government so far in the approps process. The Senate hasn’t moved anything — that’s our challenge. The House has been doing our job. So we’ll see how all that comes together. We go back in September, we’ll have a very aggressive legislative agenda, one way or the other, and we’ll see what’s possible.”

Q: Final question. Former Speaker John Boehner loves golf and merlot. Former Speaker Paul Ryan likes fitness. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is into horse racing. How do you unwind? What are your hobbies?

Johnson: “I don’t have time for hobbies. I’m a Speaker that still has kids of the age where they’re in sports and that kind of thing. My oldest daughter is about to complete law school, my second daughter is about to begin law school, my son has just begun at the Naval Academy, and then our fourth child is 13.

And so, any available time that I have had in the last several years has been devoted to ballgames and kids activities, and that’s where I find my great joy. I haven’t had time for any of my own hobbies in several years.”

Q: Are you the dad in the stands yelling if there’s a bad call or a point is missing from the scoreboard?

Johnson: “I don’t get too animated at ballgames, because everybody’s looking at me these days. But we enjoy that. I just enjoy my family, time with my family, and I don’t get enough of it these days. So if I had a spare Saturday, I would never go to a golf course. So it would be with my kids. That’s my priority. That’s been what I’m about.”

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