House Speaker Mike Johnson made a wild closing pitch for why Republicans should stay in power despite Donald Trump’s record-low approval.
The midterms are just 35 days away, and after two years of Republicans holding both chambers of Congress, Democrats are seeing surging momentum.
But in a desperate attempt to hold the House majority, Johnson appeared on CNBC Squawk Box on Tuesday morning with an argument for more of the same.
“What we would do in the next two years is exactly what we have been doing already, and that has been putting the conditions in place for a strong America again,” Johnson declared.
He claimed the U.S. restored energy dominance and American strength and insisted the economic conditions are there “for this to take off.”
What made his argument for more of the same bizarre was that Republicans have held both chambers and the White House since January 2025, but poll after poll has shown Americans believe the U.S. is heading in the wrong direction.
The president’s approval also remains at a record low as prices remain high and his war drags on in Iran.
The Economist/YouGov on Tuesday showed 62 percent of voters disapprove of the job Trump is doing, while just 36 percent approve. That includes 21 percent of Republicans who disapprove.
It also found Democrats have an edge in a generic congressional ballot. 45 percent said they would vote for the Democratic candidate. 37 percent said they would vote for a GOP candidate.
This comes as polling also shows more Americans see their vote as a check on the president.
But for nearly two years, Johnson has largely abdicated congressional oversight of the Trump administration, and Republicans have largely rubber-stamped Trump’s actions, except for a few rebel GOP lawmakers.
Johnson claimed that the current economic conditions. including the soaring stock market and job growth, are the result of Republicans’ actions, even though job growth has slowed dramatically and the stock market has been largely on the rise for years.
“We’ve got so much more to do, and we can make things so much better,” Johnson declared.
On the Iran war, which has dragged on since the end of February, Johnson called Operation Epic Fury an “epic success.”
“Now we got to resolve that. The president’s laser-focused on it,” Johnson argued.
He claimed the U.S. was entering a “new phase” of the war and, like Trump has for months, argued Iran was running out of resources.
Most Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of Iran. 63 percent said they disapprove, including 51 percent of voters who said they strongly disapprove.
