Fact Check: Is Mike Johnson planning to retire if Republicans lose the midterm elections?
WASHINGTON, DC: With the midterm elections less than a month away, a rumor has begun circulating on social media claiming that House Speaker Mike Johnson is planning to retire if Republicans lose the upcoming election.
The claim has sparked mockery and speculation among online users, with many calling for a fact-check of the viral rumor.
Claim: Mike Johnson plans to retire if Republicans lose midterms
According to a post that surfaced on X, the House Speaker is planning to retire if Republicans lose control of Congress.
The post read, “Mike Johnson is reportedly planning to retire if Republicans lose Congress, and is looking forward to finally having time to read the news and catch up on all the stories of Trump’s offensive quotes and constitutional violations he’s just been too busy to read about.”
The post has garnered thousands of views as of this writing. Comments indicate that while many users believe the claim to be authentic, others remain skeptical.
Fact check: Mike Johnson did suggest retiring
The claim is partly true, as Johnson suggested that he might leave the House of Representatives if Republicans failed to retain control of Congress following the midterm elections.
“Heaven forbid, if we lose this majority or whatever, I don’t know what my next chapter of life is,” Johnson said.
“If God moves on our hearts and says we should, you know, go back to my hometown of Shreveport and start a lawn business, I’ll do that with equal fervor.” “If we lose the House, it will be because the people were misled,” he added.
However, the claim that Johnson would have “time to read the news and catch up on all the stories of Trump’s offensive quotes and constitutional violations” is a satirical exaggeration.
It originated from an account called The Halfway Post, which describes itself as a satire account in its bio.
Mike Johnson’s spokesperson dismisses retirement speculation
However, Johnson’s spokesperson, Lance Trover, dismissed speculation that the Speaker would leave Capitol Hill.
“All the DC speculation about the Speaker because he dared to speculate about his potential future in the lawn care business is hilarious,” Trover wrote on the social platform X.
“Not that I believe he’d be bad at it, but allowing it to overshadow the massive fundraising numbers announced this morning or the insane travel schedule he’s doing to keep the majority seems to be nothing short of trying to drive a contrived narrative.”
