‘That’s An Applause Line’: Mike Johnson Urges Colleagues to Clap During Speech After Winning Speakership Vote

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) addressed the House of Representatives on Friday after being reelected as its speaker, in a somewhat dramatic fashion. Johnson prevailed only after two holdouts changed their votes after pressure from President-elect Donald Trump.

Johnson’s remarks focused on America’s role in the world and American exceptionalism and as he got warmed up needed to remind his colleagues when to applaud.

He noted it’s “a momentous time in the nation of the history, the history of our nation. It really is. And as members of the 119th Congress, we are stewards of the Great American Revolution that began almost exactly now 250 years ago, 1775 and 1776. It will fall at the time of this Congress, the great anniversary.” Johnson continued:

And then these two and a half centuries, we’ve been reminded repeatedly, repeatedly, that freedom is never free. And we have stood tall as the greatest nation on the face of the earth. It is without debate. We are the freest, the most powerful, most benevolent nation that has ever been in the history of the world. It’s not by happenstance.

We are the ones who settled the West. We’re the ones who ended slavery, who laid the Transcontinental Railroad, who gave women the right to vote, who won two world wars, who landed on the moon and who won the Cold War. Throughout our history, we have done what no one thought was possible. And still, at 250 years old, our nation is actually a young nation. This past fall, I had the opportunity to go to the G7 speakers meeting. It was held in Italy. It’s the only international trip I took as speaker over the last 14 months because I didn’t have time to do it.

But it was a quick three-day jaunt and met with my colleagues, the speakers of the other parliaments, the great governments around the world, and we talked about that, how really special America is, how unique we are, and our place on the globe, and how important it is for us to maintain that. And as I talked to these colleagues from around the world, I thought our closest allies, you know, who recognize how important we are, how important this body, this house is. I thought about how is it that such a young country has become so exceptional, so singular in its importance that today stands as the world’s leader in liberty and the economy and culture?

100 years ago, President Calvin Coolidge answered that very question in his inaugural address. It was March of 100 years ago. Exactly, almost, he said this We best serve our own country and most successfully discharge our obligations to humanity by continuing to be openly and candidly, intensely and scrupulously American. I love that. I love that today.

“Yeah, that’s right. That’s an applause line,” Johnson said, pausing to urge his listeners to applaud, which they did.

“Today, my friends, our nation is the envy of the world. Why? Because we have been marked by a spirit and a people who are explicitly that, we are explicitly American. We don’t try to be like other nations, and we recognize that a strong America is good for the entire world. And everybody around the globe knows that. That’s right,” Johnson said as the crowd applauded.

“We also recognize that the core principles that made America what we are must still be preserved today. The principles I call them the seven core principles of American conservatism. But it’s really the seven core principles of the nation itself: individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, and human dignity. These are the ingredients, the things that made us who we are. And in America, we know that human flourishing is best achieved by adherence to time-tested truths,” he continued, concluding to applause:

We could list a number of those simple truths. Here’s a couple. It’s better to give a hand up than a handout. That innovation thrives when bureaucracy dies. The simple truth that it is parents and families and not administrators that must be in charge of their children’s education.

The path of prosperity has long been paved with policies that put America and Americans first. And that is what we will champion in the 119th Congress.

Watch the clip above via CNN.