House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was recently put between a rock and a hard place when asked to pick a side in the ongoing spat between President Donald Trump and a member of the House Republican Conference.
NBC News reported Tuesday that Johnson took a somewhat neutral position when asked whether he supported Trump's demand that a Republican run against Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in retaliation for Massie's pattern of voting against Trump's legislative agenda. The Louisiana Republican called that the "hardest question I had this morning" during an impromptu press gaggle.
"I’m a leader of my party here, and the speaker leads the incumbent protection program," Johnson said. "I got to make sure everybody gets re-elected."
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However, the speaker was quick to add that he "certainly understands the president’s frustration about the colleague you named, and he and I talk about that quite a bit." And Johnson is far from the only House Republican who is uncomfortable talking about the rift between Trump and the six-term Republican.
"Teaming up to go against President Trump? Yeah, no, that doesn’t sound like a winning mission for me,” said Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who narrowly won his own primary against a MAGA challenger last year. “I’ll sit this one out, boys. You all let me know how it goes.”
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), who has publicly criticized the Trump administration's recent strikes on Iran, said that he "like[s] both of them" in reference to Trump and Massie, and expressed his hope that they "get along better." Even House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) was hesitant to defend his fellow Bluegrass State colleague, telling NBC: "I try to get along with my colleagues, but I sure want to get along with the president."
Earlier this week, Trump attacked Massie in a Truth Social post, saying he was "not MAGA" and a "grandstander." He added that he would be "campaigning really hard" against Massie in Kentucky and would endorse a "patriot" who ran against him. Massie — who has easily dispatched Republican primary challengers in the past – told NBC that he was "not going to lose" and vowed to continue running for another term.
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Click here to read NBC's full report.