Trump praises MTG but rejects attempt to oust Johnson during fight with Democrats

Former President Donald Trump expressed his support and admiration for GOP firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in a social media post Wednesday night, but claimed it was not the right time to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Greene started the clock to vote on removing Johnson on Wednesday afternoon, giving the House two days to vote on her motion-to-vacate. But it was tabled in a bipartisan 359-43 vote shortly after, according to C-SPAN. The vote against tabling it was supported by 11 Republicans, including Greene.

Trump called for unity among House Republicans ahead of the 2024 elections, and said the time should be spent fighting Democrats and trying to keep control of the House in November, instead of fighting against each other.

"Right now, Republicans have to be fighting the Radical Left Democrats, and all the Damage they have done to our Country," Trump said in a post to Truth Social. "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. We are leading in the Presidential Polls by a lot, both Nationally and in the Swing States. Likewise, we are doing well in the Senate, and I believe will do well in the House. But if we show DISUNITY, which will be portrayed as CHAOS, it will negatively affect everything!"

Trump praised Johnson as a "good man" who was trying his best, even though he wished that other things had been accomplished recently. Greene's motion-to-vacate stems from the speaker's work to pass three foreign aid bills, which moved forward with the help of Democrats. Greene also slammed an omnibus from Johnson that failed to address a lot of Republican priorities.

Greene had met with Johnson prior to the vote on Wednesday, and laid out key demands which included a promise not to pass any more aid to Ukraine, a vow to only bring bills to the floor that have the support of the majority of House Republicans, and the imposition of a one percent budget cut across all agencies if there is no spending deal for fiscal year 2025 by Sept. 30.

Trump previously praised Johnson last week, when Greene first began talking about forcing a vote this week, stating that Johnson was doing "about as good as you're going to do."

"We're getting along very well with the Speaker and I get along very well with Marjorie. We have a Speaker who was voted in and it was a complicated process," Trump said in a Friday press conference. "It's not an easy situation for any Speaker. I think he's doing a very good job, he's doing about as good as you’re going to do and I'm sure that Marjorie understands that... She's a very good friend of mine and I know she has a lot of respect for the Speaker."