House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) made several revealing admissions about the stressful and chaotic nature of his job, according to a recent New York Times report.
The Times' Annie Karni wrote in a Wednesday article that Johnson turned what was meant to be an easy interview with a friendly podcast host into a spotlight on how he's handling the pressure of being second in the presidential line of succession. While sitting alongside his wife in an appearance on the Katie Miller Pod (hosted by the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller), Karni observed that Johnson gave unusually detailed answers to softball questions.
"Sitting together in the speaker’s office, the Johnsons appear perfectly practiced and coifed. Ms. Johnson’s bright orange lipstick exactly matched her suit and her shoes. The two know how to do this; they used to co-host a podcast about religion and politics," Karni wrote. "But they both revealed in their conversation with Ms. Miller that they are barely holding it together."
The speaker casually mentioned that he hadn't had a vacation or a day off "in two years, literally." He told Miller that "literally 100,000 people have my cellphone number" and that he is constantly worried about missing important calls and text messages because his phone is constantly ringing — and that most of his typical calls are emergencies. The Johnsons sold their home in Shreveport, Louisiana as the effort of caretaking and maintenance on the property became too much for them to handle, and that he spent his last Christmas "taking calls from members with their drama."
"[E]ven on this forgiving platform, Mr. Johnson presented himself as a man toiling to fulfill his duties at a moment when his weak grip on his conference appears to be slipping even further," Karni wrote. "... [T]he throughline was Mr. Johnson’s sense of being crushed by his workload and the demands of his job managing an unruly Republican majority."
Even at home, Johnson alluded to a hectic and topsy-turvy lifestyle, which Karni described as "pure chaos." The Times journalist opined that while some in Washington thrive in high-pressure environments, the speaker "appeared to be burdened by it all"
“We’re in triage every day, and every day is different. There’s no pattern or schedule,” Johnson told Miller. “We’re kind of in survival mode right now. We order in food because we just don’t have the time or luxury of cooking.”
Click here to read Karni's full article in the New York Times (subscription required).