House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said "everybody needs to calm down" when asked about election certification, adding that there's been too much "emotion" and "misinformation."
When asked by EWTN News reporter Mark Irons if he would do his part to certify the election results regardless of who wins, Johnson said "Of course."
"We have a free and fair election, we're going to follow the Constitution. I mean, I've taken an oath to uphold the Constitution and always have my entire life," Johnson said.
Johnson's reassurances come as the speaker played a key part when former President Trump challenged President Biden's victory in the 2020 election, raising questions about what he will do this election cycle. Not only did he back the former president, Johnson also crafted the legal rationale for disputing Trump’s defeat, which accused some states of changing voting rules during the COVID pandemic in violation of the Constitution — an argument adopted by many Republicans in the Capitol.Â
"All this hyperbole and madness about, ‘Oh, they’re going to try to unwind the election.’ None of that is true. None of it," Johnson added, claiming that the media "went crazy" over Trump's "secret" that he mentioned at his Madison Square Garden rally, which Johnson has said is a get-out-the-vote effort, not an "ulterior motive."
"There's just too much emotion, too much misinformation out there. Everybody needs to calm down," Johnson said. He encouraged people to "do our civic duty" and have an "American election" which will then be certified.
Johnson added that he thinks the election will be "too big to rig" and expressed his confidence in a second Trump term and a Republican-controlled Congress.
"I think President Trump's going to win today and I think we're going to win the Senate and the House, so we're excited," Johnson said.
