House Speaker Mike Johnson’s support of former President Donald Trump during his Manhattan trial has some members of his own party apprehensive, The Hill reports.
The handful of Republicans who spoke to the outlet on the condition of anonymity have accused Johnson, a devout Southern Baptist who has defended traditional conservatism, of deviating from the GOP’s family values image to curry political favors with Trump.
“It’s clear that Johnson thinks that this is to his political advantage to be at the courthouse at the most salacious bits of detailed, pornographic testimony. I think he’s got to answer for that,” one House Republican told The Hill. “It seems like an odd place for him to be given what he has said.”
“If you’re going there and talking about the other trials, that’s different. That looks different than this trial,” the lawmaker added.
On Tuesday of this week, Johnson’s office released a statement defending the speaker’s presence saying, “Speaker Johnson will address the political persecution of the 45th President of the United States by President [Joe] Biden's weaponized Department of Justice and the left-wing Manhattan district attorney.”
Still, some lawmakers aren’t convinced the exposure at such a salacious trial is worth the cost.
“I was watching the newscast and I saw him in the background, and I thought, ‘Tell me this isn’t so.’ Because there is no debating the fact that Mike Johnson is a devout Christian human being,” said another anonymous Republican lawmaker to the outlet. “That is not even subject to a debate.”
“It’s not a good look at all,” said a third GOP representative.
The Trump hush money case centers around allegations that Trump had his then lawyer Michael Cohen make payments to adult entertainer Stormy Daniels (aka Stephanie Clifford), and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, on the condition they refrain from discussing affairs which Trump has denied. Trump has been accused of falsifying business records to conceal the payments.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.