WASHINGTON, Jan 3 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson was reelected to the chamber's top job on Friday by a razor-thin margin that highlighted potential fissures among President-elect Donald Trump's Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Johnson appeared to initially fall short of the majority he needed to retain his job in a roll-call vote that lasted nearly two hours, but two Republican opponents switched their votes to support him after lengthy negotiations, with at least one reporting receiving a call from Trump himself.

WASHINGTON — Boosted by President-elect Donald Trump, Rep. Mike Johnson on Friday narrowly won his first full two-year term as speaker of the House, beating back a tiny right-wing rebellion that ultimately caved.

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican and self-described “MAGA conservative,” secured the 218 votes he needed to be re-elected speaker on the first ballot. The Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, received 215 votes.

House Republicans could soon experience some serious déjà vu.

On Friday, January 3, the newly elected Congress will convene for the first time and vote for a House speaker. Like last term — when it took 15 rounds for former GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy to be elected — this contest could well be chaotic due to Republicans’ narrow majority and conservative opposition to current Speaker Mike Johnson, who is again his party’s candidate for the job.

Mike Johnson is trying to avoid the mistakes of his predecessor as he faces the toughest test of his political career on Friday.

With his bid to keep his speakership on the line — despite support from President-elect Donald Trump — the Louisiana Republican is looking to sidestep the kinds of side deals with conservative Republicans that ultimately cost Kevin McCarthy his own political future. But that’s a hard tightrope to cross.

Friday’s Speaker vote is shaping up to be a nailbiter as Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), the current House leader, is scrambling to keep the gavel for the next two years in the face of conservative critics furious with his leadership style. 

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) has expressed serious doubts about Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) ability to retain his gavel.

Despite receiving the highly coveted endorsement of President-elect Donald Trump, Johnson faces a storm of skepticism from within his own party, just days ahead of a crucial floor vote.

On Monday, President Trump made a surprising endorsement for House Speaker Mike Johnson to be reelected, as he faces challenges from...

President-elect Trump endorsed Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for another term Monday. However, Johnson faces a challenging reelection fight, as many Republican lawmakers oppose him, potentially stalling the new Congress before it even begins.

The House speaker vote scheduled for Friday at noon is shaping up to be a close contest. Johnson will need the support of every Republican to secure the position.

However, Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., told NewsNation that he is “not yet...

Despite a Donald Trump endorsement on Monday for Republican Party members of the House to re-elect Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as House Speaker, several GOP lawmakers are currently unpersuaded setting up yet another embarrassing scenario for the House majority party.

Trump's very long Truth Social post on Monday touched upon a multitude of topics before getting to he end where he wrote, “Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will...

Though many U.S. House Republicans quickly accepted President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement of Speaker Mike Johnson for reelection, a few are still smarting from the recent continuing resolution battle and are threatening to withhold support.

U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., said that Johnson will not win her vote unless he complies with a list of conservative demands. She said the next speaker must exhibit “courageous leadership” and be someone who “won’t sell us out to the swamp.”

Weekend talk shows have featured considerable discussion about the vote in the House on Friday, January 3, for speaker, a position currently held by Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana. The potential for chaos is very real.

As Republicans face an uncertain and precarious series of critical deadlines, party members are weighing in on what they believe should happen. The key dates in January are the 3rd, the 6th and the 20th.