Speaker Johnson Says He Would Start a Lawn Business in Shreveport if Republicans Lose the House

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., floated an unexpected career change if Republicans lose their House majority in next month’s midterm elections, saying he would be willing to leave politics behind and start a lawn business in his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Fox News correspondent Aishah Hasnie detailed her exchange with Johnson on social media, quoting the speaker as saying he does not know what comes next if the GOP falls short.

“Heaven forbid, if we lose this majority or whatever, I don’t know what my next chapter of life is,” Johnson said.

“If God moves on our hearts and says we should, you know, go back to my hometown of Shreveport and start a lawn business, I’ll do that with equal fervor,” he continued. “I mean, I just want to be of my highest and best use… to God and to my country.”

The interview was part of a segment that aired Thursday on “America Reports.”

“The Speaker is putting it all out there,” Hasnie said. “He is on a campaign blitz right now. Seven states in five days, stumping for candidates, sometimes only getting three hours of sleep a night, he tells me.”

Hasnie noted that Johnson has raised $156 million, which she described as the “most by any speaker in an election cycle.”

Still, the correspondent pointed out that the political landscape remains challenging for Republicans.

“Fox News power rankings are still showing that Democrats are leading in House races,” Hasnie said.

The broadcast then cut to another exchange between the two, in which Hasnie pressed Johnson on who would bear responsibility for a loss.
“If you lose the House, whose fault is that?” she asked.

“If we lose the House, it will be because the people were misled,” Johnson said. “Ronald Reagan used to say, ‘You can trust the American people.’”
Hasnie followed up, asking whether the blame would fall on him.

“It doesn’t fall on your shoulders?” she asked.

“I don’t know how it could be,” Johnson responded. “I mean, I’m travelling non-stop.”

The speaker’s comments about a possible lawn business quickly generated buzz, prompting a response from his office.

Lance Trover, a spokesperson for Johnson’s office, pushed back on social media against the attention the remark received.

“All the DC speculation about the Speaker because he dared to speculate about his potential future in the lawn care business is hilarious,” Trover wrote.
Trover argued that the focus on the lawn business comment was pulling attention away from what he saw as the more important story.

“Not that I believe he’d be bad at it, but allowing it to overshadow the massive fundraising numbers announced this morning or the insane travel schedule he’s doing to keep the majority seems to be nothing short of trying to drive a contrived narrative,” he wrote.

With the midterms just a month away, Johnson is crisscrossing the country in an effort to hold the GOP’s House majority, even as Fox News power rankings show Democrats leading in House races. For now, the speaker’s focus remains on the campaign trail, with the lawn business only a hypothetical next chapter if the majority slips away.