Republican Speaker Mike Johnson says he does not support nation-building in Iran
DORAL, Fla. – House Speaker Mike Johnson and other top Republicans said on Tuesday that the US should not be involved in building a country in Iran, a day after President Donald Trump called the project “the beginning of building a new country.”
“I don’t support” nation building, Johnson, R-La., in a fiery interview with NBC News at the annual policy conference of House Republicans in south Florida. “I don’t think it’s our role,”
He added that “America has a very important role to play in the world” and that they are “defenders of liberty and freedom.”
“Does that mean we have to go all over the world and build a nation and do all these efforts?” Johnson continued. “No, because we don’t have the resources or the desire to do that. That’s not our responsibility. Our job, in my opinion, is to express peace through force.”
Johnson reiterated Trump’s appeal to the Iranian people in a video message sent after the US strikes began late last month. “When we’re done, take your government. It’ll be yours to take,” Trump said at the time.
The Iranian people “need to stand up, as the president has tried to encourage,” Johnson told reporters on his way back to Trump’s golf club here, Trump National Doral Miami. “And they need to take advantage of that opportunity, and they need to find that out for themselves. I’m sure there are friends and allies around the world who will help in some way, but it’s not America’s responsibility to do that.”
Johnson spoke after mixed messages from Trump, who spoke to House Republicans at the club on Monday. Trump called Iran’s war a “little trip … a temporary trip,” and said the campaign was “perfectly complete,” but also warned that Iran would face “death, fire and fury” if it blocked oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
Mike McCaul, R-Texas, former chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said at a GOP meeting that putting US boots on the ground in Iran “would be a mistake.” Trump has not ruled out sending ground troops to Iran, and NBC News reported late last week that Trump had expressed interest in sending ground troops, citing four people familiar with the discussions.
Asked in an interview whether America should participate in nation-building in Iran, McCaul replied: “Well, we’re not good at it.”
Johnson said he had not been briefed on reports that Russia was providing intelligence to Iran about US military bases in the Middle East. But he said the development would worry them and tougher sanctions on Moscow would be needed.
“I’ve been a proponent of strong sanctions against Russia for a long time. … Certainly, if there’s a new and provocative action like this, that would probably be something that Congress would be very interested in acting on,” he said. “I think we have to make it so painful for Vladimir Putin that he finally lays down his arms, and it may take some time for that to happen.”
In recent days, Trump has insisted that Congress pass and send him the SAVE America Act, an election bill that will require proof of citizenship to register to vote, vowing not to sign any other bills until that happens. The House has already passed a version, but now Trump wants more provisions, including banning transgender people from women’s sports and sex-reassignment surgery on children.
Asked if Trump’s threat not to sign another law means the end of legislation for this Congress, Johnson said, “Not at all.”
“I’ll talk to him about that,” he said. “We will work with him.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., who has his own challenges to pass the law, suggested that Johnson should revisit the bill with Trump’s new requirements.
Told of Thune’s comments, Johnson responded: “You said that? That’s fine. Be careful what you ask for.”
History shows that the party in control of the White House usually loses House seats in midterm elections. With Johnson leading by a one-vote margin, Democrats are in a good position to take back the House in November.
Johnson said Republicans will defy history and expectations in the upcoming election, but he won’t rule out running for a minority leader if the GOP loses. That’s what former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., did after Democrats lost the House during the 2010 tea party.
“There’s no riding off into the sunset; there’s a lot to do,” Johnson said. “And I don’t think about other options. I’m laser-focused on the goal. … They wrote my epitaph 20 times. They said I wouldn’t last three weeks. Then I wouldn’t last three months. As a speaker, I think we’ve been about 2½ years now.
“They say we can’t do ‘big, good debt.’ They say we won’t win the midterms in 2024. I got headlines in some of your outlets on the eve of the 2024 election, saying we’re going to lose the majority. I don’t buy it. I can’t believe it,” Johnson continued.
“I look forward. I focus on the vision, the goal, and we do it every time,” he said. “We will do it again. … History will be different this time. It will be against tradition.”
