– Cowards and weaklings

The Republican Party in the United States has only had a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives in the US Congress after the 2022 midterm elections.

Recently, both Republican congressmen Ken Buck (Colorado) and Mike Gallagher (Wisconsin) announced their retirement. This does not go unnoticed by Donald Trump, who is aiming for a return to the corridors of power after the presidential election on 5 November.

– Never forget our cowards and weaklings! What a shame, Trump writes on Truth Social in connection with a case about Gallagher’s exit.

Tough for Speaker Johnson

The timing means that their seats in Congress remain open until June and January, respectively, which means that the Republicans will for a period only have a majority in a single seat in the house. This gives Speaker Mike Johnson an even more difficult task.

Republican Mike Johnson is America’s third most powerful person, but has faced opposition within his own ranks. (Leah Millis/Reuters)

The speaker is considered the country’s third most powerful politician, after the president and vice president.

– I have always said that Congress should not be about careers. “The fact that we have so many career hunters here is why this institution is so dysfunctional,” Wisconsin Rep. Gallagher said of his decision.

– It has been an honor to serve Wisconsin in the House. My time here has strengthened my belief that the United States is the best country in the history of the world, Gallagher wrote on X, formerly Twitter, when the decision was announced.

Mike Gallagher says it has been a true pleasure and honor to serve Wisconsin in Congress. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Turbulence in the Republicans

According to The Hill, the situation means that the Democrats could theoretically get the speaker, should Johnson be ousted. The mood among the Republicans in the House is indeed very turbulent, and the right wing in the party in particular has expressed dissatisfaction with some of Johnson’s decisions. In February, embattled party member Marjorie Taylor Greene threatened to oust Johnson.

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 22: US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks to reporters outside the US Capitol Building after a vote on a funding bill that would avert a government shutdown on March 22, 2024 in Washington, DC. Greene spoke to reporters about introducing a motion to vacate US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) over the bill's passage. Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by ALEX WONG / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) — Controversial congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is considered an important ally of Donald Trump. (ALEX WONG/AFP)

Greenes brought up the memory of when the right wing among the Republicans just over six months ago felled the previous leader of the House of Representatives, the Republican Kevin McCarthy, after he entered into a compromise with the Democrats to prevent the shutdown of the state apparatus in the United States.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is considered an important ally of former President Trump.

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(FILES) Former US President Donald Trump arrives at 40 Wall Street after his court hearing to determine the date of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs in New York City on March 25, 2024. Embattled former US president Donald Trump posted a $175 million bond in his New York civil fraud case April 1, 2024, avoiding payment of a $454 million penalty while his case winds through the appeals process. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) — Donald Trump is targeting a return to the White House after the November 5 US presidential election. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP)

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Facts about Congress in the United States

At the same time as the presidential election, congressional elections are held in the USA.
Congress consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Senate has 100 members, two from each state regardless of size.
A third of the senators are elected every two years. The term of office for each senator is six years.
The House of Representatives has 435 members who are elected from constituencies in each state. All are elected every two years.
The number of constituencies varies according to population so that California, the most populous state in the USA, has 52, while states with few inhabitants, such as Alaska and Wyoming, have only one each.

(Source: Ballotpedia / NTB)