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House Speaker Mike Johnson took sides in the presidential primary on Tuesday, endorsing former President Donald Trump.
Johnson's endorsement breaks with his predecessor, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who had declined to back a candidate in the GOP primary. Party leaders from both sides in Congress have often stayed neutral until a presumptive nominee emerged from the primaries.
"I'm all in for President Trump," Johnson told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday. "I expect he'll be our nominee. He's going to win it and we have to make [President Joe] Biden a one-term president."
Trump had praised the Louisiana Republican during the speaker fight, nicknaming the four-term congressman "MAGA Mike Johnson" in one post on his Truth Social platform.
Johnson was a vocal proponent of Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, leading an amicus brief supporting a Texas lawsuit aimed at tossing out results from four critical states.
Trump "just felt like he was cheated in the last election," Johnson said Tuesday.
Johnson is the latest member of House GOP leadership to back Trump, joining GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York and Republican Study Committee Chair Gary Palmer of Alabama.
Johnson's endorsement came the same day that The New York Times unearthed his past criticism of Trump. Johnson reportedly wrote in a 2015 Facebook post that Trump could be "dangerous" and that he "lacks the character and the moral center" to be president.
On Tuesday, Johnson stressed that he has long been supportive of Trump.
"I was one of the closest allies that President Trump had in Congress," Johnson told CNBC.
Trump has by far the most congressional endorsements of the GOP presidential hopefuls. More than 70 GOP House members — about a third of the conference — have endorsed Trump, with most others staying out of the presidential race for now.
McCarthy has stayed out of the presidential race, even after he was ousted from leadership. He told NBC News' "Meet the Press" last month that there is "a very good chance" he would back Trump, but said he had not done so yet "because I’ve got a southern border wide open, I have war in the Middle East, I’ve got things I’m focused on right now."
"I believe President Trump will be our nominee," McCarthy added. "And I believe President Trump will get re-elected."
