The US House of Representatives elected Republican Mike Johnson to be Speaker on October 24, 2023 (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Johnson was the fourth candidate Republicans nominated to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy. He received 220 votes, 3 more than the number of votes needed to become Speaker of the US House of Representatives. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries received 209 votes.  

After being elected, Johnson said his first legislative activity would be to support Israel in its conflict with Hamas and he will prioritize border security and establish a bipartisan commission to tackle the 33-trillion-USD national debt.