House Speaker Mike Johnson electrified Republicans at the party’s convention Thursday night after raising an eye-catching possibility for Donald Trump’s post-White House future: a run for Congress.
Speaking to the crowd in Dallas, Johnson drew a historical comparison to John Quincy Adams, the only former U.S. president ever elected to the House of Representatives after leaving the presidency, and suggested Trump could one day take a similar path.
‘I want to leave you with some words of inspiration,’ Johnson said, inviting the audience to imagine walking with him through Statuary Hall inside the U.S. Capitol.
‘It’s one of my favorite places in the Capitol and many of you have been there,’ he told attendees. ‘And you know that there are brass plates on the floor of people who served in Congress and then were elected president.
‘I would take you tonight to the brass plate of John Quincy Adams,’ Johnson continued.
‘Why is that? He is the only person in the history of the United States who ran for the House after serving as president.
‘Maybe our current president would do that?’ Johnson mused.
The remark instantly drew a roaring reaction from Republicans packed inside the American Airlines Center.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson surprised the Dallas crowd by floating the prospect of Donald Trump running for the House after leaving the White House
The Speaker pointed to John Quincy Adams (1767 – 1848) as the historic precedent for a former president subsequently serving in Congress. He is pictured circa 1840
Johnson quickly appeared to retreat from the idea, telling the crowd: ‘No, no, I don’t… he’s going to be too busy!’
The lighthearted speculation came during the second and final night of the Republican National Committee’s first midterm convention, an event designed to mobilize GOP voters ahead of the November 3 elections.
Trump headlined the convention alongside Vice President JD Vance as Republicans sought to rally supporters behind congressional candidates and protect the party’s majorities in the House and Senate.
Adams returned to elected office after his presidency, winning a House seat in 1830 and beginning his congressional service in 1831. He remained in the House until his death in 1848.
Trump’s current presidential term ends in January 2029, and Johnson’s remarks amounted to a suggestion rather than any indication that Trump is actually considering a congressional campaign.
For now, the president’s attention is firmly fixed on a much more immediate political fight.
Trump used the convention to make a direct appeal to his supporters to turn out for Republicans in November, amid concern within the GOP that voters who reliably turn out for Trump personally may not necessarily do the same when his name is absent from the ballot.
‘You got to do me the biggest favor you’ve ever done,’ Trump told the crowd. ‘You’ve got to do this for me.’
Johnson quickly played down his own suggestion, joking that Trump is ‘going to be too busy’ after his presidency
Johnson spoke about the Capitol’s Statuary Hall, pictured, where brass plaques mark the spots where former lawmakers who later became president once sat in the House chamber
He even led supporters in a repeat-after-me pledge to vote on November 3.
Republicans are attempting to overcome a longstanding midterm pattern in which the president’s party frequently loses congressional seats.
With control of Congress at stake, the result will also determine the political landscape in which Trump attempts to carry out the final two years of his presidency.
Johnson framed the choice before voters as the GOP’s ‘Contrast for America,’ with Republicans highlighting their tax and spending legislation while attacking Democratic policies.
‘It truly is a contrast between common sense and crazy,’ Johnson told the convention. ‘We cannot and we will not allow them to take the majority in Congress.’
Vance, meanwhile, occupied the crucial speaking slot immediately before Trump and used his address to call for Republican unity.
Johnson is seen delivering remarks in 2024 in Statuary Hall of the US Capitol in Washington. Johnson has described the area as ‘one of my favorite places’ in the building
The vice president has drawn attention as a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028, although he has not announced a campaign.
‘Don’t give the country over to a bunch of crazy people because you happen to disagree with us on a policy issue here or there,’ Vance told delegates.
‘We got to send a message this November,’ he later added. ‘This country was handed down to us by our parents and their parents before them. We received this national birthright, and we are going to fight for it by electing Republicans this November.’
