Fox News host Laura Ingraham put Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) on the spot over his dealing with Democrats on funding for Ukraine that they seek to include in a bill with some border security measures as a sweetener.
Negotiations on the stalled giveaway to the notoriously corrupt Eastern European country are moving along at a brisk pace with some concerned that the new Speaker will be swayed to ignore concerns of Republicans opposed to the deal and give President Joe Biden and the Democrats a big win with the “fig leaf” of bipartisanship.
After a meeting with Biden at the White House, Johnson appeared on Wednesday’s edition of “The Ingraham Angle” where she told the new Speaker that linking a deal on the border crisis to Biden’s Ukraine funding “would be a political win for the Democrats.”
(Video: Fox News)
In welcoming Johnson for his first interview on the show since he was elected as the top House Republican, the host told him that she had just spoken to former President Donald J. Trump before the show about the deal and that he was opposed to it.
“He said that he has spoken to you about this deal and that he is against it and he urged you to be against this deal,” she said. “President Trump was extremely adamant about that. Your reaction to that given the fact that look, he already, he knows how to do this enforcement stuff, you don’t need some new bill coming out of the Senate to get the border enforced.”
“President Trump is not wrong,” Johnson told Ingraham, noting that he frequently speaks with the GOP frontrunner. “We don’t have the text of whatever the Senate has cooked up yet, and so we have to reserve judgment, I think, to see what comes out of it. It doesn’t sound good at the outset. But what I told President Biden at the White House today is the same thing that I’ve been saying to him since I was handed the gavel to become speaker and that is our border, our national border is national security.”
Ingraham praised Johnson’s posts to X that seemed to reject a bill by James Lankford (R-OK) that would allow 5,000 illegal aliens into the country a day and be a Trojan horse for amnesty, turning to a story by D.C.-based political news outlet The Hill that portrayed him as being rolled by Democrats.
“Mr. Speaker, The Hill posted a story with this title: ‘Johnson gets squeezed by Biden, Senate GOP on Ukraine and the border,’ she said. “Your reaction to that?”
“I don’t know what they are talking about, Laura,” he replied. “We haven’t seen that text yet, the senators, the Republicans who are engaged in the negotiation on the other side say that some of those claims aren’t true, again, we have to reserve judgment because the text has not been posted yet and we’ve not seen it…,” continuing speaking until Ingraham interrupted.
“Mr. Speaker, I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. “I’ve been doing this immigration thing for like 30 years here, long before you came here. But they could do that tonight. They don’t need the Lankford bill to do remain in Mexico or to enforce our border. They do not have good faith on this issue. They do want the border to be secure because, if they did, they would’ve secured it over the last three years. So then you show up at the White House and they’re trying to strong-arm you to agree to something that has been written by Schumer’s staff for months,” referring to conniving Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
“Laura, no one is strong-arming me,” Johnson responded, recalling his meeting with Biden. “I said, Mr. President, you have the authority right now to end this catastrophe. It’s your actions that created it, in fact, Mr. President, I told him in the meeting today, ‘We have documented 64 instances of you taking executive actions and your agencies that created this catastrophe, and Mr. President, it’s on you to unwind it. We don’t need new laws, you could do it right now.”
Ingraham jumped in again.
“But they know this, Mr. Speaker,” the host said. “So, you going over to the White House today– I mean, I understand you want to show comity with the Democrats and you have a reputation wanting to work– and that’s great if you’re working with people who actually have the same goals as you have.”
“You’re just giving them the fig leaf of bipartisanship here or they’re gonna blame you if this goes south,” she added.
“I only have the control of one chamber,” Johnson responded. “One House of Congress and have the smallest of majority in U.S. history – quite literally this week with people out sick. We are doing everything we can. We have to use every ounce of leverage and make them do the right thing, hat’s what we are trying to force.”
“No one is twisting my arm,” he insisted. “It’s quite the opposite. I’m there at the White House demanding action on behalf of the American people. And the House Republicans are gonna stand on that ground.”
“I do not think we should do a Border Deal, at all, unless we get EVERYTHING needed to shut down the INVASION of Millions & Millions of people, many from parts unknown, into our once great, but soon to be great again, Country! Also, I have no doubt that our wonderful Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, will only make a deal that is PERFECT ON THE BORDER. Remember, without Strong Borders and Honest Elections, we don’t have a Country!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
- ‘Legitimately filth’: Variety lambasted for politicizing the death of legendary actor Chuck Norris - March 21, 2026
- Frustrations boil over after 16 senators fail to ‘show up’ during DHS funding vote - March 21, 2026
- Ilhan Omar’s daughter makes pilgrimage to Cuba to celebrate Muslim holiday of Eid - March 21, 2026
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.