Mike Johnson, a lawyer and a Republican from Louisiana, was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States of America by a vote of all 220 of his fellow Republicans.

The influence of Donald Trump was evident in the election of Mike Johnson.

Republicans control the House 221-212. But they needed a leader to unite their fractious majority and end the chaos in the chamber after 22 days without a Speaker.

Earlier, Trump had said, "I am not going to make an endorsement in the race because I could never go against any of these fine and very talented men, all of whom have supported me, in both mind and spirit, from the very beginning of our great 2016 victory. In 2024 we will have an even bigger, and more important, win. My strong suggestion is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, and get it done fast."

What hastened the election of Johnson was when Republicans had their third nominee, Tom Emmer, and Trump showed his opposition, saying that Emmer was not a "Make America Great Again," or MAGA, candidate.

When the House convened at noon Wednesday ahead of a floor vote, Johnson, who won the majority behind closed doors, would need almost all Republicans in the public roll call to win the gavel.

"Mike! Mike! Mike!" lawmakers chanted at a press conference late Tuesday night, surrounding Johnson and pausing for selfies in a show of support. Republican lawmakers eagerly voted to give Johnson the gavel. He was the fourth GOP nominee and he won the support of all 220 Republicans who cast their vote.

Trump wrote on his social media platform after the election of Johnson: "Congratulations to Rep. Mike Johnson. He will be a great Speaker, to Make America Great Again."

Mike Johnson played a key role in efforts by then-President Trump and his allies to overturn Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 elections.

Johnson is a constitutional lawyer who used his talent to craft some creative — and controversial — theories. The most notable was his role in an argument aimed at keeping Donald Trump in power even when he lost the 2020 elections.

A New York Times article last year called Johnson "the most important architect of the Electoral College Objections" on 6 January 2021.

His argument to colleagues was that certain states' changes to their voting procedures during the Covid-19 pandemic were unconstitutional, an argument that became more palatable to lawmakers than the fabricated claims of mass fraud. In all, 147 Republicans voted to block the certification of Joe Biden electors.

In mid-November 2020, Johnson gave a radio interview where he echoed a conspiracy theory involving Hugo Chavez and the Dominican Voting System. "In every election in American history, there is some small element of fraud irregularity," Johnson said.

"But when you have a software system that is used all around the country, that is suspect because it came from Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. When you have testimonials of people like this, but in large numbers, it begs to be litigated and investigated."

Johnson has a solid conservative voting record, a lifetime rating of 92 percent from the American Conservative Union, and 90 percent from Heritage Action. He has a spotless history of voting against legal abortion, and he opposed bipartisan legislation to codify same-sex marriage.

During the election for Speaker, it was evident that many Republican lawmakers wanted candidates who would pursue impeachment inquiries into Biden and other Cabinet officials.

Many Americans claim that the indictments against Trump will be a huge factor in favor of his election in 2024.

In a House hearing, Johnson had said, "A growing list of the most important agencies under the Biden administration have been corrupted and weaponized to cover the crimes of the first family."       

(To be continued)