Trump chips away at House majority. Here’s what Speaker Mike Johnson says

President-elect Donald Trump has wasted no time in appointing several loyalists to positions in his second administration. But some of his picks have chipped away at a projected GOP majority in the House.
The GOP won control over the White House and Senate in last week’s election, but whether they will also control the House — creating a Republican trifecta — is unclear for now. As of Tuesday night, The Associated Press still hadn’t called about a dozen races, including six in California. Decision Desk already called the House majority for the GOP.
House Speaker Mike Johnson seemed certain and optimistic Republicans would gain the majority at a press conference Tuesday. “We’re going to raise an America First banner above this place,” he said.
Republicans have secured 216 seats, two short of a majority. Will two of Trump’s appointments make the already slim majority even slimmer?
So far, Trump picked Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., for the position of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley held this position in the first Trump administration, but following her bid for the Republican nomination for president against Trump, he has kept her at arm’s length.
Trump also asked Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to serve as his national security adviser. In response to these appointments, Speaker Johnson said the Republican Conference has “an embarrassment of riches.”
“We have really competent and capable people here. Many of them can serve in positions in the new administration, but President Trump fully understands and appreciates the math here, and it’s just a numbers game,” he said at the press conference. He added that “every single vote” in the House counts, and that he doesn’t expect more members to leave, “but I’ll leave that up to him.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., praised Trump’s resolve to make “really good, smart picks” quickly.
“I know he’s already pulled a few really talented people out of the House — hopefully no more for a while, until special elections get held,” he added.
Stefanik and Waltz will have to resign as elected officials, leaving their seats open until a special election, and that could take weeks if not months. According to a New York Times report from February, Democrats have outperformed Republicans in special elections by about four percentage points since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Other House members up for consideration include Reps. Sam Graves, R-Mo., and Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., who are being considered to helm the transportation and agriculture departments respectively.
In the Senate, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is rumored to be Trump’s Secretary of State. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would pick a replacement for Rubio ahead of a special election in 2026.
As Democrats assess the mistakes of recent elections, conservatives are hoping to weed out those who may not be able to deliver on Trump’s priorities, as Punchbowl News reporter Melanie Zanona wrote on X. No one is safe, including Johnson.
Rep. Andy Harris, the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, said it is undecided who will challenge Johnson. The GOP speaker survived a previous challenge in May, after the passage of aid to Ukraine, according to Axios.
Senate Republicans will vote Wednesday on a replacement for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who is not popular with many MAGA stalwarts.
McConnell, who held the position for two decades, announced he is stepping down earlier this year. Utah Sen. Mike Lee moderated a candidate forum between the three senators running to replace McConnell on Tuesday night, then later announced he would back Florida Sen. Rick Scott for the position.
“Tonight I hosted & moderated a forum for GOP senators, giving my colleagues a chance to hear from each of the three candidates running to replace McConnell. After hearing from each candidate, I’ve decided to support Rick Scott,” he said in a post on X.
Lee said he liked the other candidates — Texas Sen. John Cornyn and South Dakota Sen. John Thune — but, “while each offers a unique set of skills, experience, and plans that could prove useful to the Senate and the American people— Rick Scott stands out as the most aggressively reform-minded candidate,” he said.