Trump to host embattled Speaker Mike Johnson as House swirls in turmoil

By LISA MASCARO and JILL COLVIN
Associated Press

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is making a campaign pilgrimage to visit Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. It’s a rite of passage as the embattled Republican leader positions himself, and his GOP majority, side-by-side with the indicted ex-president. The two are planning a joint announcement on election integrity ahead of the November vote, but the trip itself is significant: Johnson needs Trump to temper hard-line Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s threats to evict him from office. And Trump enjoys the imprimatur of official Washington dashing to Florida to embrace his comeback bid for the White House and lend credence to his tangled election lies. “It is the symbolism,” said Charlie Sykes, a conservative commentator and frequent Trump critic.