Republican lawmaker Ralph Norman, who initially opposed Mike Johnson for House speaker, has revealed details of a phone call between him and Donald Trump.

The phone call took place ahead of Friday’s vote in the House of Representatives which saw Johnson re-elected as House speaker after Trump publicly expressed his support for him.

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Trump and Norman for comment via email.

Why It Matters

It is very unlikely Johnson could have been voted in without Trump’s public signs of support, which likely swayed other GOP members in the House. Trump’s ability to sway the direction of GOP lawmakers shows his influence in the party as he begins his second term.

Earlier in the day, Trump said Johnson was a “fine man of great ability” as he sought to win the speakership at a time when Republicans hold a slim majority in the House. Much of Johnson’s support came tumbling down in the last year after backlash over some of his compromises, including aiding Ukraine against conservative wishes and yielding to Elon Musk on short-term spending.

What To Know

Speaking to CNN, Norman said he and Trump spoke ahead of Friday’s vote while Trump was in the middle of a game of golf.

“He said ‘look I’m in the middle of a golf game,'” Norman recounted. He added that Trump then asked him if he had voted for Nikki Haley in the presidential primaries, to which he responded: “Yes sir I did, we’re with you now, and I said we will be with Mike Johnson.”

A spokesperson for Norman confirmed to Newsweek on Friday that he had spoken to Trump twice on Friday ahead of Johnson’s victory.

“He ended up switching his initial vote after Speaker Johnson reassured him that getting our fiscal house in order is a priority for him as well and so that we can move ahead and focus on President Trump’s agenda for the next four years,” the spokesperson told Newsweek via email.

Norman had joined several other Republicans, including Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Keith Self in voting for candidates for speaker on previous ballots. However, while Massie held out, and voted for House Majority Whip Tom Emmer for speaker, Norman and Self switched their votes to back Johnson in Friday’s vote.

It came after Trump called both men ahead of the vote, with Self calling their discussion “lively,” according to Politico. But he added that he and Trump have the same agenda.

He also said that he and Norman wanted transparency on the budget reconciliation process, which Republicans plan to use to pass legislation on the border, energy and taxes in line with Trump’s agenda.

Meanwhile, Norman told Politico that he had changed his mind because “Mike gave us the assurance that he was going to fight for everything as it moves forward.”

He also confirmed that his conversation with Trump had gone “very well” and that Rep. Nancy Mace had connected them.

However, Norman defended his decision making process in an interview with Fox News after the vote. “The only way I had to let my voice be heard was what I did. I would do it again,” he said.

Johnson told reporters earlier in the day that he did not offer any changes to convince Norman and Self to switch their votes, according to Politico.

What People Are Saying

Rep. Keith Self told Politico: “We have got to make sure this Congress is as strong as possible when we go up against the Senate on the reconciliation package, because there are debates on what the reconciliation package even looks like. So that’s all I wanted to do today, is to make this Congress successful for the Trump agenda.”

Keith Self on X (formerly Twitter): “My sole focus was advancing the Trump agenda. To ensure this, I expressed concerns to Speaker Johnson about fiscal responsibility and holding the line on deficit spending—key priorities for my constituents. After receiving firm assurances from the Speaker, that Republicans in the House will have strong representation during the budget reconciliation process—a cornerstone of President Trump’s agenda—I changed my initial vote.”

On his call with Trump, Rep. Ralph Norman told Politico: “He just made a point about how Mike’s the only one who can get elected, that he’s likable—which I knew. We just impressed on Mike the seriousness of what he’s about to do. Is he gonna fight for financial stops? Is he gonna fight? And that was our whole question. Trump was helpful, but I knew where Trump stood.” He added that there was “no quid pro quo” with Johnson.

Donald Trump said on Truth Social after the vote: “Mike will be a Great Speaker, and our Country will be the beneficiary. The People of America have waited four years for Common Sense, Strength, and Leadership. They’ll get it now, and America will be greater than ever before!”

What Happens Next

With Johnson’s election, lawmakers can be sworn into their roles so that the House can get to work.

His task is to keep GOP House members united to pass legislation supporting Trump’s policies. On Monday, they are set to certify Trump’s Electoral College victory ahead of his inauguration on January 20.