Speaker Mike Johnson suggested he could support President Trump's call to condition wildfire aid to California. (Getty Images/Shutterstock)
"Listen, there are a lot of issues going on in California, and we have been lamenting the lack of voter security there for some time," Johnson said.
He then referenced three seats in California that Republicans lost in close House races this past November – though there have been no reports or instances of fraud detected in any of those matchups.
"We saw three of our seats, frankly, slip away from us in the weeks that it took to continue counting ballots in California, when seemingly every other state in the nation, in America, can get it done. It's inexcusable," Johnson said. "[California Gov. Gavin Newsom] provides, I think, such a lack of leadership there in so many ways, and it was highlighted by the disaster with the fires."
People watch the smoke and flames from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 7, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)
Johnson and other House GOP leaders held a press conference to kick off their annual issues conference at Trump's golf course near Miami, Florida.
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They will be in South Florida through Wednesday discussing how to carry out Trump's vision for an active first 100 days of his new administration.
Johnson also suggested that conditioning wildfire aid to California will be a topic of discussion when Trump meets with House Republicans during their retreat on Monday evening.
Newsom told reporters when asked about Trump's suggestion, "I have all the confidence in the world we'll work that out."
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/johnson-considering-trumps-call-condition-california-wildfire-aid-voter-id-crackdown