Molly Ball

And in fact, there were bigger Republican majorities, but they were not as Trumpy. This time, Trump and Congress alike basically feel like they are there because of him. They got there on his electoral coattails. So they really feel like they are there to execute his agenda and get done the stuff that Trump and Republicans promised to do.

Well, I want to remind people that Mike Johnson got to be Speaker of the House kind of by accident, right? A year and a half ago, Kevin McCarthy was the Republican Speaker of the House, and he was sort of assassinated from within his own ranks, Caesar style. And There was a chaotic power vacuum where we had no Speaker of the House for several weeks.

Well, I want to remind people that Mike Johnson got to be Speaker of the House kind of by accident, right? A year and a half ago, Kevin McCarthy was the Republican Speaker of the House, and he was sort of assassinated from within his own ranks, Caesar style. And There was a chaotic power vacuum where we had no Speaker of the House for several weeks.

Well, I want to remind people that Mike Johnson got to be Speaker of the House kind of by accident, right? A year and a half ago, Kevin McCarthy was the Republican Speaker of the House, and he was sort of assassinated from within his own ranks, Caesar style. And There was a chaotic power vacuum where we had no Speaker of the House for several weeks.

And it was as a result of that process that they finally settled on Mike Johnson, who not a lot of people knew very well. And a lot of people, including some of his own colleagues, saw him as sort of a placeholder and didn't think that he would remain Speaker after the election.

And it was as a result of that process that they finally settled on Mike Johnson, who not a lot of people knew very well. And a lot of people, including some of his own colleagues, saw him as sort of a placeholder and didn't think that he would remain Speaker after the election.

And it was as a result of that process that they finally settled on Mike Johnson, who not a lot of people knew very well. And a lot of people, including some of his own colleagues, saw him as sort of a placeholder and didn't think that he would remain Speaker after the election.

So I think Johnson gets a lot of credit for really doing the work. He spent that time really shoring up his relationships with other Republican members, but really with Donald Trump. Johnson correctly assessed that his ticket to power was sticking as close to Trump as possible because it is Trump who has all the power in the Republican Party.

So I think Johnson gets a lot of credit for really doing the work. He spent that time really shoring up his relationships with other Republican members, but really with Donald Trump. Johnson correctly assessed that his ticket to power was sticking as close to Trump as possible because it is Trump who has all the power in the Republican Party.

So I think Johnson gets a lot of credit for really doing the work. He spent that time really shoring up his relationships with other Republican members, but really with Donald Trump. Johnson correctly assessed that his ticket to power was sticking as close to Trump as possible because it is Trump who has all the power in the Republican Party.

And because Republican voters want their members of Congress to do what Trump wants to do, Johnson, by sticking super close to Trump, has been able to ally himself with the most powerful figure in the party. And Trump has been helpful to him in return. But, you know, my reporting suggests that Trump is still a bit skeptical of Johnson. He is not sure that Johnson is tough enough.

And because Republican voters want their members of Congress to do what Trump wants to do, Johnson, by sticking super close to Trump, has been able to ally himself with the most powerful figure in the party. And Trump has been helpful to him in return. But, you know, my reporting suggests that Trump is still a bit skeptical of Johnson. He is not sure that Johnson is tough enough.

And because Republican voters want their members of Congress to do what Trump wants to do, Johnson, by sticking super close to Trump, has been able to ally himself with the most powerful figure in the party. And Trump has been helpful to him in return. But, you know, my reporting suggests that Trump is still a bit skeptical of Johnson. He is not sure that Johnson is tough enough.

Frankly, there's a feeling with everyone around Trump, like they're sort of walking on eggshells and could be fired at any moment. So Johnson sort of knows that he serves at Trump's pleasure and that that relationship with Trump is going to be crucial to not only his success, but really his survival.

Frankly, there's a feeling with everyone around Trump, like they're sort of walking on eggshells and could be fired at any moment. So Johnson sort of knows that he serves at Trump's pleasure and that that relationship with Trump is going to be crucial to not only his success, but really his survival.

Frankly, there's a feeling with everyone around Trump, like they're sort of walking on eggshells and could be fired at any moment. So Johnson sort of knows that he serves at Trump's pleasure and that that relationship with Trump is going to be crucial to not only his success, but really his survival.

It's basically the entire Trump agenda, this bill. They're talking about, on the one hand, funding a lot of Trump's priorities, particularly his immigration agenda, which is going to be very expensive, and a lot of things he wants to do on energy. And then they want to dramatically cut the government, make it smaller, right?

It's basically the entire Trump agenda, this bill. They're talking about, on the one hand, funding a lot of Trump's priorities, particularly his immigration agenda, which is going to be very expensive, and a lot of things he wants to do on energy. And then they want to dramatically cut the government, make it smaller, right?

It's basically the entire Trump agenda, this bill. They're talking about, on the one hand, funding a lot of Trump's priorities, particularly his immigration agenda, which is going to be very expensive, and a lot of things he wants to do on energy. And then they want to dramatically cut the government, make it smaller, right?

And then importantly, you know, the major legislative achievement of Trump's first term was the big tax cut bill in 2017. And most of those tax cuts are going to expire this year if they don't pass them again. So a big part of this legislative package that they're trying to do is to renew those tax cuts, keep them from expiring.