Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is suggesting he wants to move on from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)’s effort to oust him from his position.
“I don’t hold grudges. I’ve got to work with everybody. I told her last night before she left the floor, let’s move on, Marjorie,” Johnson said Thursday in an interview with “Fox and Friends.”
Asked for how Greene responded, Johnson only suggested the two will “have the opportunity to do it.”
The House on Wednesday voted to block an attempt led by Greene to boot Johnson from the Speakership. The final vote was 359-43-7, with 196 Republicans and 163 Democrats choosing to save Johnson.
Democrats suggested last week they would provide votes to help Johnson, though that could also bring trouble for the Speaker, who is now in the position of being a GOP Speaker propped up by Democrats.
Republicans broadly criticized Greene’s motion, arguing it was an unnecessary diversion that highlighted their internal squabbling.
“We have serious work to do, y’all,” Johnson said. “There are two competing visions for the country. We are fighting to save America and preserve its founding principles to get Donald Trump back at the House White House and to win the majority in the Senate and the House for the Republican Party, so that we can fix all of these extreme challenges. We have no time for nonsense. We have to get the job done.”
Greene threatened to move forward with the motion to vacate against Johnson for weeks, pointing to his decision to bring various bills to the floor that ended up passing with Democratic support, including a spending package to avoid a shutdown and a foreign aid package for Ukraine.
The two Republicans met for hours earlier this week, in which Greene laid out a list of demands for the Speaker.
When asked if he believes Greene is a “serious legislator” following their meetings, Johnson said, “Look, I’m going to let other people judge Marjorie. I’ve got to work with all my colleagues here. I’m not mad at anybody.”
Johnson reiterated his appreciation to his colleagues who helped defeat what he called a “misguided effort.”
“I have to do my job. I have to do what I know to be right,” he said. “We advance our conservative policies and principles as far as we can here every single day up the field, in spite the fact that we have the smallest majority in U.S. history. We can’t get 100 percent of what we want, and sometimes a handful of my colleagues’ demand that. It’s just not possible right now.”