'I'm baited every day!' Mike Johnson complains when asked about Trump's racist remark
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 10, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
December 10, 2025
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) complained Wednesday after he was asked his thoughts on President Donald Trump's profane and racist attacks on what he called "s---hole countries," while Republicans try to advance their defense spending bill.
CNN's Manu Raju described how Republicans are struggling to pass the first procedural vote in the Republican-majority House to get its annual defense policy bill approved — slated for nearly $900 billion in military funding — tied to mixed reactions to reports that have questioned the second strike on an alleged drug boat on Sept. 2 in the Caribbean, off the coast of Venezuela. A provision in the bill would attempt to force Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to release the unedited videos of the strikes in question.
"Right now, eight Republicansare voting no. The Speaker canonly afford to lose a couplealong party lines, which is whyhe is in a bit of a bind," Raju said, adding that the House could use the Capitol Hill under suspensionof the rules, which would force a two-thirds majority vote to pass the bill.
"We doexpect that to eventually happenbecause Democrats want this billto pass. So that will beapproved eventually. Despitethis drama we're seeing rightnow play out in the Capitol," Raju added.
Raju asked Johnson his response to Trump's comments at a rally in Pennsylvania Tuesday night, where he made offensive comments about different countries, including Somalia, which he said is among a host of "s---hole countries."
"Look, I'm baited every day withasking to be asked to commentabout what the president orother members say," Johnson complained.
"It's the president of the United States. Do you have an opinion on it?" Raju pressed.
"Well, ofcourse, I have an opinion.That's not the way I speak. Andyou know that. But the presidentis expressing his frustrationabout the extraordinarychallenge that is presented to America," Johnson said. "When you have peoplecoming in, not assimilating andtrying to take over the country.We had illegal aliens, like 20million for four years. It's acrisis for the country. Andthat's the frustration you hearin his voice and the language..."