Johnson Criticizes Voters, Predicts Democratic House ‘Chaos’

House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized voters for Republicans’ midterm losses, saying they made the “wrong choice” and predicting a “circus” and “chaos” under a Democratic-led House. He also said he would not seek the Republican minority leadership post in the next Congress.

In a CNN interview, Johnson defended President Donald Trump’s record and declined to advise him to change course after the election. Johnson said he did not know how Republicans would continue their agenda without a House majority. His forecast of disorder was his own assessment of the next two years, not a confirmed outcome.

Johnson also opposed efforts to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth while hostilities with Iran are underway. He said impeaching a cabinet secretary during the conflict would be a poor move and described the effort as political gain or “cheap tricks.” Thomas Massie introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth, and Johnson did not say whether Republicans had enough votes to defeat the effort.

Democrats are set to take control of the House in January. One projection put the party at 255 seats while races were still being counted; that figure was not presented as a final count. The...