Mike Johnson

Mike Johnson is the current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives after the previous Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed from office on October 3, 2023. A former legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), he is a Southern BaptistHow Mike Johnson's "Covenant Marriage" Helps Explain His Politics by Molly Olmstead (Oct 30, 20232:01 PM) Slate. wingnut who holds some of the most religiously extremist conservative stances within U.S. politics.Conservative Republican walks into Louisiana Legislature’s District 8 seat unopposed by Nancy Cook (January 10, 2015), KTAL-TV.Odette Yousef, Alabama justice's ties with far-right Christian movement raise concern. NPR, 27 February 2024. It's unsurprising that the Freedom Caucus is in love with this guy, though Johnson himself is not a member of the group.Freedom Caucus ❤️ Mike Johnson by Anthony Adragna (November 2, 2023), POLITICO.
Before becoming House Speaker, Johnson served as a U.S. representative from Louisiana's 4th district (And continues to serve in that role) and a state representative from the state's 8th district.
==Political fundamentalism==
Johnson strongly advocates for policies typically espoused by the religious right — including Christian nationalism,Mike Johnson's Ties to Christian Nationalism Revealed by Ewan Palmer (October 26, 2023), Newsweek a nationwide ban on abortion,What are new House Speaker Mike Johnson's record and views on abortion? by Shawna Mizelleand (October 26, 2023), CBS News. gay marriage,Losing Liberty Without Losing Hope by Mike Johnson (July 2, 2017), Answers Magazine. and covenant marriage laws.U.S. Rep Mike Johnson molds Republican messaging as 5th-highest GOP member of Congress by Mark Ballard (November 28, 2022), NOLA.com'Covenant Marriage' Offers Tighter Bonds (February 10, 2005), ABC News. He frequently, if not always conforms his political views with Christianity; likewise, he frequently insinuates that America is in decline due to the country turning its back on the "18th-century" religious and moral "values" that the country was (allegedly obviously) founded upon."New House speaker Mike Johnson praised ‘18th-century values’ in speech" by Martin Pengelly, Guardian, 2023 October 27 To give you an idea of how religiously deluded he is, Johnson believes mass shootings are caused by abortions, secularization, and even the teaching of evolution,New House Speaker Blamed School Shootings on Teaching Evolution and Abortion by Nikki McCann Ramirez (October 26, 2023), Rolling Stone.Biden urges assault weapons ban, as U.S. House Democrats advance gun control bills by Ariana Figueroa (June 3, 2022), Oregon Capital Chronicle. and prayer is the solution to the issue.After mass shooting, new speaker calls for prayer that ‘senseless violence can stop’ by Michael Macagnone (October 26, 2023), Roll Call. 
He strongly believes in Young Earth creationism as well as its handmaiden, Biblical literalism, and has even written articles for Answers in Genesis;Latest Articles by Mike Johnson, Answers in Genesis in his article defending the Ark Encounter, he accused "radical secularists" of not only undermining constitutional law but also "misrepresenting related facts."Ark Encounter Incentives Are About Tourism by Mike Johnson (August 4, 2014), Courier-Journal. Archived by Answers in Genesis.
In a similar manner, Johnson wrote a few articles for Townhall.com back in 2007, which largely focused on the whine that Christians were being persecuted. There, Johnson contrasted an article wondering why "our public officials and private atheists" were supposedly panicking about Jesus' teachings (which he described as "turn the other cheek, go the second mile, reach out in mercy to those who are lonely or impoverished or hurting") with an article that ignored these very same teachings in order to complain about the Day of Silence and, of course, accuse this protest of being part of the homosexual agenda."Taking God Out Of School Leaves A Vacuum Something Will Replace" by Michael Johnson, Townhall.com, 2007 February 28, archived on 2012 April 9"Why are so many American Educators so Afraid of the Truth?" by Michael Johnson, Townhall.com, 2007 April 4, archived on 2012 April 4
Johnson also moonlights as a professor at Liberty University teaching "Constitution and free enterprise"."Meet Rep. Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the House who introduced the national version of Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' law and played a key role in Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election" by Bryan Metzger, Business Insider, 2023 October 26 
He also claims to believe that men and women are equal but strictly advocates for traditional gender roles to be upheld; naturally to him, women cannot and should not take up roles that are for men only because that is what God wants.
Even discussions over climate change fall victim to Johnson's religious agenda. Johnson believes human activity is not the primary cause of climate change;Johnson brings pro-oil, climate-skeptical record to speakership by Zack Budryk (October 25, 2023), The Hill. but on top of that, he's also denigrated climate activists as "irrational" and "anti-God," likening the modern climate movement as a religious cult that's replaced the worshiping of God with the worshiping of Earth.Mike Johnson Hates America, But He Believes He Can Save It by David Corn (October 26, 2023), Mother Jones. On a podcast with Jordan Peterson, Johnson took this view into conspiracy territory, stating that, at the international level, climate change was a "sinister agenda" being pushed by "elites at the top of the food chain".
===Dominionism===
Despite being a "constitutional lawyer" as he puts it himself, Johnson has clearly never heard of the Establishment clause and thinks that the American public has been brainwashed into thinking that the separation of church and state is a new phenomenon rather than something that actually exists in the U.S. Constitution, claiming that America is not a democracy but a "biblical republic";Johnson: We’re Not A Democracy, We’re A “Biblical” Republic And Separation Of Church And State Isn’t Real (October 26, 2023), Joe. My. God. this is essentially pious fraud. 
In the late 2010s, Johnson prepared seminars to be presented in Louisiana Baptist churches entitled Answers for Our Times. The seminar insisted (historical facts be damned) that the United States was a Christian nation. The seminars' goal was equipping "churches to take a stand against the cultural attacks now being directed at people of faith, the traditional family and basic freedoms embedded in the U.S. Constitution." (The later presumably not including the Establishment clause, of course.)"Mike Johnson Conducted Seminars Promoting the US as a “Christian Nation”" by David Corn, Mother Jones, 2023 October 28
Mike Johnson has claimed that the pseudohistorian David Barton, who has questioned the Constitutionality of the separation of church and state, has had a "profound influence" on him.‘Like Winning the Lottery’: Mike Johnson’s Ascent Excites Conservative Christians by Ruth Graham, New York Times, 2023 November 14
Underscoring his theocratic beliefs, Johnson has cultivated ties with members of theocratic movements such as the New Apostolic Reformation."Mike Johnson, Polite Extremist" by Matthew D. Taylor, Bulwark, 2023 October 30 In fact, he is a close affiliate of the leader of the NAR, Jim Garlow."Speaker Mike Johnson draws scrutiny for ties to far right Christian movements", NOR, All Things Considered, transcript, 2023 December 5
In November 2023, Mike Johnson spoke at an event hosted by the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, a Christian nationalist organization that says its goal is to codify a “biblical worldview” into law."Mike Johnson Keeps Flaunting His Extreme Ideology" by Tori Otten, New Republic, 2023 November 29 During that closed-doors speech, Johnson, thinking the media wouldn't notice (and unaware that the speech was being recorded for the NACL Facebook page), proclaimed that his ascent to the House speaker role was divine intervention and compared himself to Moses."Mike Johnson Compares Himself to Moses at Christian Nationalist Gala" by Tim Dickinson, Rolling Stone, 2023 December 6
===Homophobia===
Johnson has been called "the most anti-equality Speaker in U.S. history." He opposes same-sex marriage and called homosexuals "sinful" and "destructive", claiming that support for homosexuality could lead to support for pedophilia as well.How new House Speaker Mike Johnson spent years fighting against gay rights by Will Steakin (October 25, 2023), ABC News. He went as far as to claim that "experts projected that homosexual marriage is the dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy that could doom even the strongest republic" without identifying who these "experts" were.Same-sex marriage must be opposed by Mike Johnson (February 22, 2004), The Times (Shreveport).
In 2004, he went on a slippery slope argument on how the legalization of same-sex marriage would enable other forms of sexual misconduct or deviancy:
Similarly in 2003, he voiced opposition towards Lawrence v. Texas and explicitly advocated for the discrimination against those who commit sodomy and homosexual activities:
Johnson has partnered with Exodus International, a conversion therapy group.Before he became a politician, House Speaker Mike Johnson partnered with an anti-gay conversion therapy group by Andrew Kaczynski (November 1, 2023) CNN. 
In 2005, for his efforts in Alliance Defending Freedom (then known as the Alliance Defense Fund) fighting gay marriage in Louisiana, he was presented with an award by the Family Research Council."FRC Presents “Family, Faith, and Freedom Award” to ADF Lawyer", Christian Post, 2005 March 17 Johnson has since been a frequent guest on the FRC show "Washington Watch with Tony Perkins"."Mike Johnson’s Podcast Tells You Everything You Need to Know About Mike Johnson" by Calder McHugh, Politico, 2023 October 26
After becoming House Speaker, however, Johnson has somewhat reneged on his opposition to the same-sex marriage. In an interview with Sean Hannity, he stated he was okay with the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. HodgesSpeaker Johnson on same-sex marriage: ‘I am a rule of law guy’ by Lauren Irwin (October 26, 2023), The Hill. even though he initially sought to have it overturned soon after the decision was made.New House Speaker Mike Johnson once wrote that homosexuality will lead to 'chaos and sexual anarchy' by Thibault Spirlet (October 26, 2023), Business Insider.
====The decline====
Johnson has a hard-on for masculinist fantasies of the Roman Empire,How often do men think about ancient Rome? Quite frequently, it seems. by Leo Sands (September 14, 2023) The Washington Post. and falsely blames homosexuality for its demise.Hear House speaker's past comments blaming the fall of the Roman Empire on homosexuality (Nov 1, 2023) CNN via YouTube.House Speaker Mike Johnson once blamed fall of Roman Empire on ‘homosexual behavior’ by Muri Assunção (November 2, 2023 at 2:13 p.m.) New York Daily News.
While there have been ancient historians who have blamed homosexuality for the decline of Rome (e.g. and it doesn't mean that these historians were "objective" or correct.Another Politician Blames Fall of Rome on Homosexuality (November 6, 2023) Pharos. "The only people who think they’re 'objective' are white nationalist intellectuals."Sallust and Juvenal Made Prophets of Racial Decline (July 31, 2020) Pharos The idea that homosexuality caused the decline of Rome, is not unusual, but according to historian John Boswell, this was one of two "major distortions in modern treatments of Roman homosexuality". "This claim has little to do with the history of Rome and everything to do with the history of hatred of Gay people."
==Social Security and welfare==
Like many Republicans, Johnson has sought to repeal or cut spending on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, calling it a top priority for Congress to do so. While he was chair of the Republican Study Committee from 2019 to 2021, he helped craft budget resolutions that would have slashed these programs by trillions of dollars. In an attempt to justify his position, he nonsensically claimed that forced births are what drive welfare programs like Social Security and blamed women for wanting abortions instead of bringing in "able-bodied workers."New House Speaker Once Blamed Abortions for Social Security, Medicare Cuts by Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling (October 25, 2023), The New Republic.New GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson Has Proposed Trillions in Cuts to Social Security and Medicare by Jake Johnson (October 25, 2023), Common Dreams.
==Persecution complex==
During the podcast that he runs with his wife, "Truth be Told with Mike and Kelly Johnson", Johnson explained why he only defended Christian issues (for example as a lawyer at ADF). His explanation ran along the lines of his having a persecution complex:For Mike Johnson, Religion Is at the Forefront of Politics and Policy: The new House speaker has put his faith at the center of his political career, and aligned himself with a newer cohort of conservative Christianity that some describe as Christian nationalism. by Annie Karni et al. (Oct. 27, 2023) The New York Times.
==Racism==
Johnson has made remarks that are adjacent to the racist "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory. He has frequently made false public claims such as, "This is the plan of our friends on this side — to turn all the illegals into voters. That’s why the border's open."Mike Johnson’s conspiracy theories about ‘illegals’ mark a new GOP low by Greg Sargent (October 27, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EDT) The Washington Post. 
==Election denier==
Johnson is an ardent believer that Donald Trump's victory in the 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen due to voter fraud and has worked to overturn the election results. In fact, he has been described as "most important architect of the electoral college objections" — he took lead in the failed lawsuit that tried to nullify Joe Biden's victory and voted against certifying the election results during and after the onset of the 2021 U.S. coup attempt.New US House speaker tried to help overturn the 2020 election, raising concerns about the next one by Nicholas Ricccardi (October 26, 2023), AP News. The fact that he is now House Speaker has raised obvious concerns on how the 2024 presidential elections will play out.Mike Johnson helped lead efforts to overturn the 2020 election. What that could mean for 2024 by Tal Axelrod (October 27, 2023), ABC News.
==Forced birth and keeping dead people on life support==
During Johnson's time at ADF, he took an active part in the circus that revolved around trying to keep the clinically dead Terri Schiavo on a feeding tube as long as possible. Johnson also viewed this task as morally equivalent to also banning all abortions, and the opposite stance to that of Nazi Germany. In 2005, at the time of the termination of Schiavo's feeding tube, Johnson wrote a letter to the Shreveport Times explaining his Nazi analogy:Schiavo case advances 'culture of death' by Mike Johnson (April 1, 2005) Shreveport Times via Newspapers.com. Page 13.New Speaker of the House Equated Reproductive Rights with Holocaust: Editorial uncovered by Documented reveals Johnson's extreme views on abortion. by Jamie Corey (Oct 26, 2023) Documented.
==Hail Putin!==
Johnson and other Louisiana Republicans were able to receive tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from three Russian nationals in 2018, Mikhail Yuriev, and Andrey Kunatbaev. It was something that they could not legally do directly, so they funneled the donations through the US company in which they owned an 88% majority share.Mike Johnson's Campaign Contributions From Company Tied to Russia by Ewan Palmer (Oct 27, 2023) Newsweek. As of 2023, Konstantin Nikolaev was under economic sanctions by Ukraine.Превратил деньги в вино. Винодельни при дворце Путина убыточны, несмотря на вложенные в них миллиарды (15 September 2023) Коррупция/The Insider (archived from November 17, 2023). Given that Johnson has at best been foot dragging on aid to Ukraine or at worst supporting genocide.A US veteran who says he fought in Ukraine accused Mike Johnson and MAGA Republicans of 'supporting the genocide of innocent people' by Thibault Spirlet (Feb 7, 2024, 4:44 AM PST) Business Insider.
==Notes==
==References==
Category:2020 election denialists
Category:2021 U.S. Capitol riot
Category:Anti-abortion activists
Category:Antifeminism
Category:Baptists
Category:Christian fundamentalism
Category:Conspiracy theorists
Category:Creationists
Category:Government incompetence
Category:Homophobes
Category:Lawyers
Category:Living people
Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives
Category:Pseudohistory promoters
Category:Racists
Category:Right-wing activists
Category:Theocracy
Category:United States politicians
Category:Vatniks
Category:We're on a mission from God
Category:White supremacy