House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday that Republicans need more time calling the shots to deal with what he described as the mess they inherited from President Biden and Democrats in Washington.
Addressing the GOP midterm convention in Dallas, Mr. Johnson said the elections are a defining moment for the country and that the Trump‑aligned majority has made significant gains since taking power, including tax cuts, a drop in violent crime, tighter border enforcement and lower prescription drug costs.
“We’ve succeeded in so many ways, but it takes more than 20 months to fix the total disaster that we were handed, and to turn the ship of state around,” the Louisiana Republican said. “We know the job isn’t finished yet, but we are all in this together.”
Picking up on a common theme among convention speakers, Mr. Johnson said the election “truly is a contrast between common sense and crazy.” He argued that Republicans “stand for our nation’s founding principles,” while “the Democrat Party, on the other hand, has been taken over by crazy far-left radicals.”
He warned that Democrats would reverse GOP policies if they retook control of Congress.
“The alternative is to turn the reins over right now to the radical Marxists who are planning to dramatically grow the government, raise your taxes, drive costs through the roof and rob you of your freedom,” he said. “Let me say this very clearly: not on our watch.”
Mr. Johnson’s political future is tied directly to November. His speakership has been under pressure for months, and he remains one of the Republicans Mr. Trump most often credits with delivering his agenda in Congress.
That includes the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which made the 2017 tax cuts permanent and passed the House last year on a party‑line vote.
The speaker closed his remarks with a note of religious conviction and optimism.
“I know that God is not done with America yet,” he said. “I know that this is the last best hope of man on earth, and because of your efforts, and because the American people can be trusted to make the right decision, we are going to win this election on Nov. 3.”
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