Speaker Mike Johnson Pours Chilly Water on Dem Hopes in Texas, Cheers Massie’s Ouster: ‘Need Team Players’
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) joined Salem News Channel’s Larry O’Connor earlier this morning for his first exclusive interview following last night’s Trump-backed major primary victories. He promptly delivered a clear-eyed assessment of the results and charted the path ahead for the America First movement.
In doing so, he poured cold water on Democrat hopes (seemingly an every-election-cycle event) of flipping a Texas Senate seat in the wake of the President’s big endorsement of Ken Paxton.
Johnson also hammered Texas Democrat James Talarico’s “crazy” comments on faith, celebrated Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s (KY-4) ouster with a call for “team players,” and dismantled MSNBC host Katy Tur’s viral take on America’s founding principles.
Not bad for a day’s work.
Johnson, in his interview with O’Connor, almost immediately turned his attention to Texas, flatly rejecting Democratic predictions that Talarico could somehow ride a wave of momentum to capture a U.S. Senate seat. He pointed out that the opposition party thinks they’ll finally succeed in Texas every cycle, as evidenced by their massive spending sprees in the Lone Star State, and yet there is no Senator Beto O’Rourke, for example.
“All of this, breathless, you know, claims by the Democrats that somehow Talarico … would win the Senate seat? I’m not buying it,” he scoffed. “They say that in Texas every cycle. ‘Oh, Texas is gonna go purple!’ I just don’t believe it.”
“I think the people of Texas are gonna make the right decision, and we’re gonna have another Republican Senator.”
WHOA: @SpeakerJohnson pours water on Democrat chances to take a Senate seat in Texas after Ken Paxton’s primary victory.
“All of these breathless claims about the Democrats that somehow Talarico…would win the Senate seat? I’m not buying it.”
“They say that in Texas every… pic.twitter.com/OB2jCJK72h
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 20, 2026
WHOA: @SpeakerJohnson pours water on Democrat chances to take a Senate seat in Texas after Ken Paxton’s primary victory.
“All of these breathless claims about the Democrats that somehow Talarico…would win the Senate seat? I’m not buying it.”
“They say that in Texas every cycle. ‘Oh, Texas is gonna go purple!’ I just don’t believe it.”
“The people of Texas are gonna make the right decision, and we’re gonna have another Republican Senator.”
@LarryOConnor
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Democrats are hopeful that Paxton is a less palatable candidate for statewide office than incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). But they fail to account for the fact that Talarico is an extremist wrapped in moderate clothes.
Johnson turned his attention to some of Talarico’s controversial comments on faith, bluntly dismissing them as political poison for any statewide candidate.
“He has some odd takes that I don’t usually hear every Sunday when I go to Mass. Do you think Texans will embrace James Talarico ot the Gospel according to James?” O’Connor quipped.
The Democrat candidate has sparked outrage by repeatedly pushing a progressive reinterpretation of Christianity that clashes sharply with biblical teachings, including claims that God is “nonbinary” and that the Bible actually permits abortion.
“I think the more that he talks, the less people support him, because he has some pretty wild views,” Johnson surmised.
“I think that Talarico is trying to come in and sort of portray himself as some sort of centrist or moderate because he talked about faith,” he added. “But he is a radical leftist with some very radical views.”
.@LarryOConnor: “[Talarico] has some odd takes that I don’t usually hear every Sunday when I go to Mass…Do you think Texas will embrace…the Gospel according to James?”@SpeakerJohnson: “The more that he talks, the less people support him. He has some pretty wild views.”… pic.twitter.com/7GCpydOHCp
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 20, 2026.
@LarryOConnor: “[Talarico] has some odd takes that I don’t usually hear every Sunday when I go to Mass…Do you think Texas will embrace…the Gospel according to James?”@SpeakerJohnson: “The more that he talks, the less people support him. He has some pretty wild views.”
“When someone brings in some of these crazy theological propositions…You should evaluate that carefully.”
“He is a RADICAL leftist with some VERY radical views…”
Johnson and O’Connor then pivoted to Massie’s primary defeat Tuesday, openly celebrating the lawmaker’s ouster as a major step toward GOP unity.
Massie, whose congressional career was marked by a stubborn refusal to vote in favor of anything his party supports, claiming it as a hallmark of a maverick libertarian outsider, then went off the deep end by throwing down with the duo of Ro Khanna and Marjorie Taylor Greene on the Epstein files simply for show, lost his primary to Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL backed by President Trump.
Johnson said Massie “has been a thorn in my side for a long time” and pointed out that the lawmaker served more as an obstructionist to the benefit of the resistance than he did a valuable member of the Republican party.
“He votes with the Democrats most of the time,” Johnson said. “We need team players. We need people who are Constitutional conservatives who understand the America First agenda and want us to help deliver it.”
NEW — @SpeakerJohnson celebrates the downfall of Thomas Massie:
“He votes with the Democrats…and has been a thorn in my side for a LONG TIME.”
“We need team players…who understand the America First agenda!”
“This is a great trend.”
“I talked to the President…He…has… pic.twitter.com/j9PAkEfCQt
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 20, 2026
NEW — @SpeakerJohnson celebrates the downfall of Thomas Massie:
“He votes with the Democrats…and has been a thorn in my side for a LONG TIME.”
“We need team players…who understand the America First agenda!”
“This is a great trend.”
“I talked to the President…He…has the most powerful endorsement in the history of politics!”
Massie had zero interest in the America First agenda and a keen interest in drawing attention to himself. Somebody like that is not helpful to the conservative cause, and he’ll soon be able to join MTG, offering anti-Trump commentary on CNN, and engaging in group therapy hugs with the cast.
The Speaker described Massie’s loss, coupled with other conservative wins last night, as a “great trend.”
And it is President Trump’s unmatched endorsement power that helped deliver the results.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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