Mike Johnson Says Voters Made the Wrong Choice After GOP Losses

House Speaker Mike Johnson said voters made the "wrong choice" in this month's midterm elections and predicted the next two years in Congress will be a "circus," according to the New York Post. Johnson made the remarks in a CNN interview Sunday, less than a week after Democrats flipped more than 40 House seats to take control of the chamber.

What did Johnson say about the election results?

Johnson, speaking to CNN, declined to tell President Trump to change course following the GOP's losses. "I'm not going to tell the president how to do his job, we have an incredible record," he said, per the Post. He went further on the outcome itself: "I'm sorry that the voters made the wrong choice. I really do believe that the next two years is going to be a bit of a circus. It's going to be chaos… and that's a great tragedy."

Johnson added that a continued Republican majority would have kept the party "on course to continue delivering for the people," and said he does not "know how that's going to work going forward" under Democratic control.

Why is Johnson losing the speakership?

Johnson is set to lose the gavel when Democrats take up the majority in the 120th Congress in January, the Post reported. He has also ruled himself out of contention to become the House GOP's minority leader in the next Congress, meaning his current remarks come as a lame-duck speaker with no formal leadership role ahead.

How are other Republicans explaining the midterm losses?

A party postmortem is underway after the GOP lost control of both chambers of Congress, according to the Post. Vice President JD Vance has pointed to the Iran war as a driver of the losses, while President Trump has pointed to how that conflict pushed up gasoline prices, the Post reported.

Is Johnson the only Republican criticizing voters?

The Post identifies Johnson as the most senior Republican to criticize voters directly for the midterm result, framing it as the party's "wrong choice." The outlet notes that other Republicans, including Florida's outgoing governor, have taken a different tone toward voters rather than placing blame on the electorate — though the source material does not detail the specifics of that contrasting response beyond naming the governor.

What happens to the House majority in January?

Democrats are set to control the House when the 120th Congress convenes in January, following their net gain of more than 40 seats, the Post reported. That flip also costs Republicans control of the chamber they have held under the current speaker, and sets up the divided-government dynamic Johnson described as a likely source of "chaos" during the final two years of the Trump administration.

For the full account of Johnson's CNN remarks and the surrounding midterm fallout, see the New York Post's report.