House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said his aversion to a bipartisan deal pairing U.S. border security with aid to Ukraine is not to help Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
"No," Johnson said at a press conference when asked if he's trying to help the former president. "That's absurd. We have a responsibility here to do our duty.
"Our duty is to do right by the American people, to protect the people. The first and most important job of the federal government is protecting citizens. We're not doing that under President Biden."
The proposed bill, which President Joe Biden called "the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we've ever had in our country," was birthed in the Senate and carries with it an additional $110 billion emergency request for funding for Ukraine, Israel, immigration enforcement, and other national security needs.
The criticism against Johnson comes as a response to Trump mentioning Johnson on Truth Social writing: "I do not think we should do a Border Deal, at all, unless we get EVERYTHING needed to shut down the INVASION of Millions & Millions of people, many from parts unknown, into our once great, but soon to be great again, Country! Also, I have no doubt that our wonderful Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, will only make a deal that is PERFECT ON THE BORDER. Remember, without Strong Borders and Honest Elections, we don't have a Country!!!"
In November, Johnson formally endorsed Trump for his third presidential campaign, something that Johnson's predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, had resisted.