Mike Johnson addresses current topics at 2025 CPAC Conference
House Speaker Mike Johnson shared his thoughts on the Department of Government Efficiency, illegal immigration, President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” and the war between Russia and Ukraine at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Feb. 20.
After joining his host, Rob Finnerty, onstage, Johnson and Finnerty spoke briefly regarding Kash Patel’s confirmation as the director of the FBI, as well as the importance of electing Trump supporters in the midterm elections. Johnson also discussed Trump’s ability to bring together people from various backgrounds before he transitioned to focus on the work of DOGE.
“What Elon and the team are doing is what Congress has not had the ability to do,” Johnson said. “… They’re exposing this massive fraud, waste and abuse that we have not been able to uncover because the deep state has hidden it from us.”
Johnson called it a “revolutionary kind of moment” as they looked to bring back the founders’ original intent for the federal government. He explained the importance of holding elections for officials regardless of circumstance, highlighting the detrimental nature of Ukraine’s canceled presidential elections due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Johnson spoke on Trump’s work to end the war, including meeting with both countries separately to decide how to best handle the conflict.
“What Trump’s trying to do is do a level set, put the conditions in place for that … negotiation to happen. … Remember, he wrote ‘The Art of the Deal.’ He knows what he’s doing,” Johnson said.
Finnerty took the opportunity to ask Johnson about the “one big, beautiful bill,” otherwise known as the “beauty of reconciliation” bill, that Trump has brought to light recently. Johnson explained that the bill would set in place many of the promises made during Trump’s 2024 campaign. This includes the securing of the border, the return to American energy dominance, a commitment to bolster the economy and a promise to “take a blowtorch to the regulatory state.”
“(There are) lots of details, lots of subcategories under all that,” Johnson said. “But it’s going to be a big, beautiful bill, and it has to by necessity because that gives us the highest probability of success. … Everybody is committed to delivering the America First agenda, and that’s how we’re going to get it done.”
After a brief discussion of the Democratic Party’s potential lineup for the 2028 elections, Johnson and Finnerty touched on the immigration crisis and its effect on America. Johnson asked if the Democratic Party “open(ed) the borders wide,” and subsequently claimed the party did not care if it brought death, heartache and calamity to America — all for the sake of potential future voters.
Johnson also criticized the loss of “hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied minors” to human trafficking at the border, the magnitude of which had come to light recently.
“It was a dangerous time, a very perilous time for us, particularly in that last year of (Biden’s) administration,” Johnson said. “… Thank God that President Trump is back in the White House.”
McKinnon is the off-campus news editor for the Liberty Champion