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US House Speaker Mike Johnson predicts that if Donald Trump wins the presidency, he will negotiate the release of imprisoned journalist Evan Gershkovich and peace in Ukraine, while NATO allies gathering in Washington fear the return of the former president to the White House.
“President Trump has the strength to make a demand and have it follow through,” Johnson said of Gershkovich’s case, echoing Trump’s assertions. The Wall Street Journal reporter was accused of spying by Russia, a charge he and the news outlet have denied. “He had very frank conversations with people like Vladimir Putin during his first administration.”
During an interview ahead of the NATO Summit in Washington DC, Johnson lauded a new Trump era while casting doubt on President Joe Biden’s ability to lead, saying he is clearly in a “weakened state.”
“I’m very optimistic that when President Trump becomes the commander in chief again, that he will be strong enough to be able to broker a peace [in Ukraine] and I think he is working under the same assumption,” said Johnson, who added NATO has nothing to fear from another Trump presidency.
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Johnson was particularly critical of Canada, which has repeatedly failed to meet a pledge of NATO members to spend 2% of their GDP on defense, calling the country’s posture “unacceptable” and “unconscionable.” He called on allies to meet the spending goal in a speech at the Hudson Institute on Monday.
“I think he [Trump] picks up the phone in his first week or two in office and calls the leadership of Canada and says that’s not an acceptable answer,” he told Semafor. “President Trump was seen as a leader that was to be respected and feared by our adversaries. That’s very important. It’s the Reagan Doctrine, maintaining peace through strength. And we’re not projecting strength right now. We’re projecting weakness.”
