OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
House Speaker Mike Johnson visited the Cetronia Ambulance Corps last week as part of a larger tour to support Ryan Mackenzie, a candidate for Congress in the Lehigh Valley, and made a big prediction ahead of the November election.
Johnson and Mackenzie told the Lehigh Valley News in an interview that they had met briefly with EMTs and reporters before Johnson departed for Washington, D.C. The Speaker said he expressed support for first responders during National EMS Week to honor his firefighter father, who was seriously injured in an explosion while on duty.
“Not everyone appreciates the work you do, but we do,” Johnson told the assembled emergency workers.
Johnson stopped at Cetronia after speaking at a donor breakfast in support of Mackenzie, a state representative based in Lehigh County. He then toured a nearby ULine distribution center.
Johnson’s stops in the Lehigh Valley were part of a two-day trip to Pennsylvania to campaign for U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.) and state Rep. Rob Mercuri (R), the latter of whom is running for Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District. Johnson predicted that Republicans would retain the House and regain control of the Senate and the White House.
“We’re going to flip some seats back to Republican hands, and this one will be as well. We are really excited about Ryan’s campaign,” Johnson said, giving Mackenzie a light punch in the arm. “We can’t wait to have him join us in Congress.”
As the son of a first responder, I know firsthand how hard they work to serve our communities.
This National EMS Week, it was an honor to visit EMS first responders in Pennsylvania with @Ryan_Mackenzie and thank them for their service. pic.twitter.com/wZHghw2WWr
— Mike Johnson (@MikeJohnson) May 21, 2024
Meanwhile, Johnson came out swinging after jurors convicted former President Donald Trump on all 34 counts in the controversial hush-money case in New York on Thursday.
During an interview on Fox News, Johnson decried what he described as “the weaponization of our justice system” and said that Trump will “appeal this absurd verdict.”
Host Ainsley Earhardt asked Johnson: “In the meantime, the sentencing date is July 11th. That’s after the first debate. So, the two candidates will debate. Then there is going to be the sentencing date. How is that going to affect the RNC? What if he has home confinement? He can’t go? Does the convention still happen? Does he zoom in on the screen? How does he campaign if he goes to prison? What does that look like? Will he be in prison with the Secret Service on Election Day?”
“We’re in uncharted waters, right? Obviously, there is no prohibition against him being elected president, even if he is confined somewhere. But I certainly hope that doesn’t happen. You know, there is lots of discussion; we talked about it all last night; there will be more discussion today about how we might adjust things in the schedule and all of that,” Johnson said.
He added,” But I will tell you what will happen. I predict this will increase turnout on our side. He will win decisively. He will become the next president. He was already, as I said, crushing Joe Biden in the polls. I think as this plays out and people get more and more frustrated about it, I think it will help us and that huge enthusiasm gap that already existed between the Trump and Biden campaigns will be even wider. People now see Donald Trump as a symbol of something. He is more than just an individual. He is a symbol of fighting back against this government corruption, the deep state, the bureaucracy and all the rest. And we need his leadership in the White House now more than ever.”
