'Need to stand with Israel': Mike Johnson slams 'shameful' Democrats on 'Fox & Friends' for appeasing 'pro-Hamas' wing in party

House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke out against the anti-Israel protests across cities and slammed the Democrats for staying silent on 'Fox & Friends'
UPDATED APR 17, 2024
House Speaker Mike Johnson on the April 16, 2024 episode of 'Fox & Friends' (Screengrab/Fox News)
House Speaker Mike Johnson on the April 16, 2024 episode of 'Fox & Friends' (Screengrab/Fox News)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: House Speaker Mike Johnson joined the panel of hosts to discuss his support of Israel on the Tuesday, April 16 l, episode of 'Fox & Friends'.

Johnson called out Washington Democrats for appeasement of the "pro-Hamas" wing of the party as they did not condemn anti-Israel and anti-American protests that broke out in various cities on Monday, April 15.

Anti-Israel protestors blocked traffic

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco was shut for traffic by hundreds of anti-Israel protestors holding banners with the messages that read "Stop the world for Gaza" and "End the siege on Gaza now!" on Monday, while a similar demonstration was seen on Interstate 880 in Oakland.

In New York City, nearly 300 protesters gathered outside the New York Stock Exchange the same morning, chanting, "Free, free Palestine", "Palestine will never die", "from Wall Street to Palestine… intifada", and "Israel bombs. USA pays. How many kids did you kill today?"

Meanwhile, protesters blocked traffic to O'Hare Airport in Chicago, causing several hours of delay, and leading to the arrest of 40 people.

House Speaker Mike Johnson condemns the protests

When shown clips from the various protests and demonstrations that took place, House Speaker Mike Johnson stated, "What's so shameful about all this, for all the obvious reasons, is that we're turning our back on Israel, our critical ally and important friend."

"But the most shameful part about it, I'm afraid, is the silence that you hear from Washington. There's so many leading Democrats who refuse to speak out about this… I think they're appeasing the pro-Hamas wing of their party now, and that's a serious problem," he continued. "We need to stand with Israel, unequivocally," he added.

"I spoke to my counterpart, the speaker of the Knesset, Speaker [Amir] Ohana, about, 36 hours ago or so, and he thanked me and us, the Republicans, and others who have stood strong with Israel, with our voices, and that's a very important thing for them. I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu about a week ago, and he expressed the same sentiment. We've got to stand strong. We got to tell the world and show the world that Israel is not alone here," Johnson added.



 

House Speaker Mike Johnson calls out Democrats

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was slammed by Johnson for not speaking out against the protestors. "It's unconscionable that anybody would stand by that. Chuck Schumer is really responsible for Israel not being funded yet," Johnson said.

"Remember, we sent over an Israel funding package, back in October. It was within the first week of my being the speaker, we did a pay-for – we took it out of the IRS expansion slush fund to take care of that, but he refused to even address it, and it's been sitting on his desk," the House Speaker continued.

Mike Johnson with the co-hosts on the April 16, 2024 episode of 'Fox & Friends' (Screengrab/Fox News)
Mike Johnson with the hosts on the April 16, 2024, episode of 'Fox & Friends' (Screengrab/Fox News)

"We tried to pass Israel again about a month ago, and 166 House Democrats voted against that funding. Why? Because Joe Biden said he would veto it. It's really shameful," he added.

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Ellison wondered how the DOJ 'is stretching' either the FACE Act, KKK Act 'to apply to people who protested in a church over the behavior of a religious leader'
9 hours ago
Victims’ lawyers accuse the Justice Department of prolonging secrecy and shielding powerful figures after it failed to fully disclose investigative files
20 hours ago
With a razor-thin House majority, the speaker races to unite Republicans to energize voters and safeguard control of the chamber ahead of November
22 hours ago
State Del Adrian Boafo argues the action is needed because ICE agents 'are not qualified' and 'Marylanders deserve people who will protect them'
1 day ago
Two battalions from the 11th Airborne Division were readied for cold-weather deployment as they were best suited for Minnesota’s harsh winter conditions
1 day ago
50 trainers guided 2,000 DSA members and 2,000 allies as Renee Good's death spurred activists to expand rapid response networks
1 day ago
Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears in the 2025 election, reshaping Virginia’s political balance heading into 2026
2 days ago
Adriana Camberos' first conviction involved fake energy drinks sold in the US with counterfeit labels, and Trump commuted her sentence in January 2021
2 days ago
'If I move him, these Fed guys - certainly the one we have now - they don't talk much. I would lose you' Donald Trump said about Kevin Hassett
3 days ago
Charles Wall served for the past year as ICE's principal legal advisor, overseeing 3,500 staff in immigration court and advising DHS leadership
3 days ago