In response to Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson refusing to commit to accepting this November’s election results, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement: 

“MAGA Mike Johnson was a key architect of Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the last election, and now he’s laying the groundwork to do the same thing all over again if Trump loses this November. Johnson has made it clear he has no regrets about his election denier track record and said he would do the ‘exact same thing today’ – but voters are having none of it, and will stop Trump and Johnson’s attacks on our democracy at the ballot box this November.” 

NEW: Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson refused to commit to accepting this November’s election results.

Pablo Manríquez, Vanity Fair: “Mr. Speaker, do you commit to observing regular order in the certification process of the 2024 election, even if Harris beats Trump?”

Johnson: “Well of course – if we have a free, fair, and safe election, we’re gonna follow the Constitution.”

MSNBC: “On certifying election results, Speaker Johnson offers a big ‘if’”

Mediaite: “Mike Johnson Gives Conditional Answer When Asked If He’d Certify Kamala Harris Victory Over Trump”

Johnson has said he does not regret his role as a key “architect” of the effort to overturn the 2020 election results – and said he would do the “exact same thing today.”

Ryan Lizza, Politico: “One of the biggest sources of friction in the country is the aftermath of the 2020 election and January 6th. Do you have any regrets about the role that you played after the 2020 presidential election, including the amicus brief in support of Texas’ lawsuit challenging the election results?”

Johnson: “No, I don’t. … you asked me if I regret that? I don’t. I would do the exact same thing today if the circumstances were presented.”

Lizza: “So if you were speaker on January 6, 2021, would you have done anything differently?”

Johnson: “I don’t know. … I’m not sure what I would have done at that point.”

Washington Post: “Johnson played one of the most significant roles of any member of Congress in the effort to overturn the election.”

HuffPost: “Johnson, a former lawyer, led an amicus brief signed by over 100 Republican members of Congress backing a flawed Texas lawsuit that asked the Supreme Court to overturn the 2020 election. He also played a key role in crafting the rationale that many of his GOP colleagues used in justifying their votes to throw out the 2020 election results ― even just hours after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.”

Johnson urged supporters to “fight” on the morning of January 6 and continues to downplay the riot and prevent those who violently attacked law enforcement from being charged. 

Johnson on January 6, 2021: “We MUST fight for election integrity, the Constitution, and the preservation of our republic! It will be my honor to help lead that fight in the Congress today.”

Louisiana Illuminator: “Johnson, who is close to Trump, did not acknowledge that the people who attacked the Capitol were the president’s supporters. He told a reporter that he thought there was a possibly a ‘big mix of people involved in this.’

“‘I don’t think President Trump is any more responsible for what happened at the Capitol today than the congressmen of Portland are responsible for what happened there,’ said Johnson, referring to some violence that erupted in Oregon over the summer. ‘What caused [the Capitol riot] is the same thing that has caused all the unrest over the last many months.’”

2021: Johnson voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the January 6 attack.

NBC News: “Speaker Mike Johnson says he’s blurring Jan. 6 footage so rioters don’t get charged”

Raw Story: “Mike Johnson says Jan. 6 rioters just ‘happened to be walking through the building’”

REMINDER: Donald Trump is still pushing baseless lies about his loss by over 7 million votes in the 2020 election.

Associated Press: “[Trump] is flooding the airwaves and his social media platform with distortions, misinformation and unfounded conspiracy theories about his defeat.”

NBC News: “Re-litigating the 2020 election, repeating false claims it was stolen and casting aspersions on the security of mail voting remain major fixtures for [Trump] on the stump. … He regularly refers to the 2020 election as ‘rigged’ on his social media channels.”

Trump continues to praise and promise pardons for the violent insurrectionists he rallied to storm the Capitol on January 6, calling them “hostages” and “patriots.” 

Washington Post: “Trump vows pardons, government apology to Capitol rioters if elected”

Rachel Scott, ABC News: “140 police officers were assaulted [on January 6]. Their injuries included broken bones, at least one officer lost an eye, one had two cracked ribs, two smashed spinal discs, another had a stroke. Were the people who assaulted those 140 officers, including those I just mentioned, ‘patriots’ who deserve pardons?”

[Trump refuses to answer]

Scott: “But sir, my question is on those rioters who assaulted officers. Would you pardon those people?”

Donald Trump: “Oh absolutely I would. If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.”

Scott: “They’ve been convicted.”

Trump: “Those people were treated very harshly… nobody was killed on January 6. But I think that the people of January 6 were treated very unfairly… they were there to complain about an election, and you know it’s very interesting, the biggest crowd I’ve ever spoken to.”

The Hill: “Trump describes imprisoned Jan. 6 rioters as ‘hostages’”

TIME: “Trump has sought to recast the insurrectionist riot as an act of patriotism. ‘I call them the J-6 patriots,’ Trump tells TIME. When asked whether he would consider pardoning every one of them, he says: ‘Yes, absolutely.’”

Trump: “January 6, it was the largest crowd I’ve ever spoken to. And they were there proud, they were there with love in their heart. That was an unbelievable — and it was a beautiful day.”

Trump has threatened political violence and warned of a “bloodbath” if he loses in November, and he is vowing to be a dictator on “day one” if he wins.

Associated Press: “Trump threatens to jail adversaries in escalating rhetoric ahead of pivotal debate”

Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN: “Many people have lost American presidential elections over the last 230 years – Trump is the only one to say about violence if he loses ‘it depends.’”

The Atlantic: “Trump Says He’ll Be a Dictator on ‘Day One’”

NBC News: “Trump says there will be a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses the election”

Associated Press: “Trump declines to rule out abusing power to seek retribution if he returns to the White House”

Washington Post: “Trump calls political enemies ‘vermin,’ echoing dictators Hitler, Mussolini”

The Guardian: “Donald Trump says he will lock up his political enemies if he is president again.”