House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) won another term in leadership on Friday, in a victory for President-elect Trump that capped two weeks of drama and speculation.

Johnson's victory was preceded by a show of support from Senate Republicans and Trump, who endorsed Johnson's re-election as House Republicans talked up a phantom mutiny.

Trump lifts Johnson to victory

Vocal critics of Johnson ended up supporting him, leaving a lone Republican dissenter, Thomas Massie (Ky.)

Johnson won in the second round with Trump's help. The president-elect spoke to two holdouts, Ralph Norman (R-Sc.) and Keith Self (R-Tx.), and convinced them to change their votes.

"Congratulations to Speaker Mike Johnson for receiving an unprecedented Vote of Confidence in Congress. Mike will be a Great Speaker, and our Country will be the beneficiary. The People of America have waited four years for Common Sense, Strength, and Leadership. They’ll get it now, and America will be greater than ever before!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Weeks of uncertainty

The Speaker's future was thrown into question over his role in pushing a bi-partisan spending deal before Christmas. Trump and Elon Musk killed the bill as Johnson was accused of working with Democrats to maintain business as usual.

During three frenetic days of negotiations, Trump suggested his support for Johnson was conditional on how he handled the spending fight. It was a shift in tone after Trump repeatedly supported Johnson against threats of removal from his right.

Ultimately, Trump endorsed Johnson days before the January 3 vote. Some Republican senators joined Trump in supporting Johnson, as a handful of House Republicans threatened to revolt.

"My friend [Johnson] has done an incredible job in the House, and I’m glad he’s at the helm there as Congress looks forward to growing our economy and safeguarding our communities in the new year," said Sen. John Kennedy (La.) on X.

Unifying the party

Johnson's orderly re-election is a contrast with the 15 rounds that his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, endured to get the gavel.

Trump's comeback has reduced the appetite for dissent, with Republicans enjoying unified control of Washington for at least two years.

It's likely that Trump threw his support behind Johnson fearing that fresh divisions could delay the president-elect's legislative priorities.

In another sign that the political climate is changing, the House raised the threshold to trigger a vote to remove the Speaker from just one member. Kevin McCarthy had changed the rules in a concession to Republican critics, who later took advantage of the change to kick McCarthy out.