We have probably all used the phrase, “Shame on you” to express our disapproval of someone’s action or inaction. We are telling them that they should feel guilty, dishonored, or at least embarrassed for their actions and, in this case, inactions.
Mike Johnson, the 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and member of the Republican Party, is in his fifth term as the representative of Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District. Prior to entering politics, he was an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona.
ADF has been described as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit conservative Christian advocacy group. The group works to expand Christian religious practices in public schools as well as working to outlaw abortion, oppose same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ rights.
Others who have been associated with ADF are U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, former Vice President Mike Pence, former attorneys general William Barr and Jeff Sessions, and Senator Josh Hawley.
Mike Johnson has the right to be associated with ADF, but when he was elected to Congress, he became the representative of all the people in his district, not just those associated with ADF or having the same beliefs as those in ADF.
Like every other person in Congress, Mike Johnson took the oath prescribed by Article VI of the United States Constitution which states that Senators and Representatives shall “be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” The current oath taken by members of the U.S. Congress is as follows: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
In 2015, Mike Johnson said this about Trump: “The thing about Donald Trump is that he lacks the character and the moral center we desperately need again in the White House.” He added this about Trump: “I am afraid he would break more things than he fixes. He is a hot head by nature, and that is a dangerous trait to have in a Commander in Chief.” In 2015, while watching Trump’s performance in the debates with his family, during which Trump was asked about his history of calling women “fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals,” he saw Trump interrupt to answer, “Only Rosie O’Donnell.” In response, Johnson said, “Can you imagine the noble, selfless characters of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, or Reagan carrying on like Trump did last night?” He then said that the voters needed to demand a “much higher level of virtue and decency.” How insightful Mike Johnson was then.
Johnson began singing a different tune about Trump and on January 6, 2021, Johnson joined 146 other House Republicans in voting against the certification of the 2020 election results in favor of Biden. Trump strongly supported Mike Johnson to become Speaker of the House in 2023 and later to remain Speaker in 2025. During Trump’s 2024 campaign, Johnson said this: “When I got to know him personally shortly after we both arrived in Washington in 2017, I grew to appreciate the person that he is and the qualities about him that made him the extraordinary president that he was.”
Now, Johnson’s loyalty to Trump appears cemented. When Johnson was re-elected Speaker of the House in 2025, he said that Congress would “drastically cut back the size and scope of government.” “We are going to return the power back to the people.” Johnson promised, “a leaner, faster, and more efficient federal workforce.” Critics have argued that Trump’s actions with Johnson’s support have, instead, reduced government responsiveness, gotten rid of expertise, and led to reduced service. One need only to look at what has occurred with disaster assistance. Johnson has so aligned himself with Trump that, according to press reports, Trump has privately joked that “I’m the speaker and the president.” Trump has recently been more open in discussing his relationship with Mike Johnson saying, “I have two jobs: being president and being the speaker.” In News of the United States, an article was headlined, “It’s Johnson’s Gavel But Trump’s House.” An opinion piece in The Jerusalem Post in 2025 was entitled, “Mike Johnson, the weakest speaker, Trump’s puppet, and Musk’s Doormat.” Johnson appears to have little support and no respect.
According to Baptist News Global, “While Speaker of the House Mike Johnson gave glory to God for final passage of the ‘big beautiful bill,’ other religious leaders decried the legislation as un-Christian, un-American, evil and dangerous.” One wonders how Johnson can rationalize his radical turnaround concerning Trump.
Shame on you, Mike Johnson.