U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to members of the media following the passage of a funding bill in the U.S. House of Representatives to bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close, which now requires U.S. President Donald Trump's signature, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 12, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Fears that Republicans will lose their small majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms intensified when Democrats enjoyed a variety of off-year election victories on November 4, from double-digit gubernatorial wins in New Jersey and Virginia to three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices winning retention elections by a landslide. And a special election in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District on Tuesday, December 2 didn't do much to calm Republicans' nerves.
The GOP candidate, Matt Van Epps, defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn by roughly 8.5 percent, but given how deep red that district is — Donald Trump carried it by 22 percent in 2024 — Democratic strategists believe Behn overperformed.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) discussed the pressures he is facing during a Friday morning, December 5 appearance on right-wing Fox Business.
When host Stuart Varney asked Johnson if he works "18 hours a day," the House speaker responded, "More, more. And I have to because President Trump works 21 hours a day…. I'm a wartime speaker in a real sense. And so, it's not the most enjoyable job in the world, but I do love what we're doing. I love the team I work with."
In an article published on December 3, the New York Times' Annie Karni detailed the tensions between Johnson and members of his caucus, including Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) and Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina). But Johnson downplayed such divisions, telling Varney, "We have a unified Republican Party. If we didn't, we would not have delivered on all of the things that we have this year. There's much more ahead of us, but this team is excited about it. it is."
Varney's interview with Johnson, especially the "wartime speaker" comment, is drawing some reactions on X, formerly Twitter.
Journalist Doug Henwood tweeted, "Wartime Speaker who can’t stop working. And Trump sleeps [less than] 3 hours a night (which explains those daytime naps). Sure, Mike."
X user Sam Alberti posted, "'I'm a wartime speaker in a real sense' yeah ok man."
Another X user, Peter A. Patriot, commented, "Presidents shouldn’t need to work 21 hours a day... competent administrations delegate. Authoritarian ones pretend their leaders are superhuman."
Journalist Aaron Rupar sarcastically posted, "in fairness we are fighting the War on Woke right now."