“Is President Trump going to win Pennsylvania?” asked Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to a crowd of around 75 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Monday night.
In Johnson’s right hand was a phone videoing the question to be messaged to former President Donald Trump. In front of him were supporters who packed a campaign office to see Johnson promote the congressional bid of state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh). Behind him was a 6-foot-tall cardboard cutout of Trump.
The crowd and Mackenzie cheered loudly in response. Monday marked the second time Johnson campaigned for Mackenzie in recent weeks, the last time being on Oct. 10.
“He’s a governing conservative. He’s the kind of person that I need,” Johnson said of Mackenzie.
Johnson touted Mackenzie’s “proven track record,” saying that “he knows what he’s doing” if he serves in Congress.
“We also need to grow our Republican majority in the U.S. House so that we have a functioning majority and we can help pass legislation — do those things that will bring back prosperity and bring back security in our country,” Mackenzie said.
Mackenzie trails U.S. Rep. Susan Wild (D-Lehigh) by 6% in the most recent district polls, according to The Morning Call.
After praising Mackenzie, Johnson spent much of the 15-minute speech supporting Trump’s re-election campaign.
“It’s not just Republicans versus Democrats anymore,” Johnson said. “This is deeper than that. It’s more fundamental. We’re in a battle between two completely different visions for who we are as a nation.”
Johnson’s critique of the Democratic Party often wavered into harsh rhetoric, calling Democrats “a bunch of Marxists” and later “communists” after audience members shouted out “Communist!”
Johnson did, however, denounce controversial rhetoric used against Puerto Ricans at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, calling the comments “stupid.”
“He picked the wrong venue,” Johnson said of comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who made the racist comments. “It wasn’t funny at all.”
The last 15 minutes of the event consisted of audience questions and comments, one being about how Trump would regain Latino support after Hinchliffe’s comments. Johnson cited a USA Today poll that found Trump led polls by 11% among Latinos.
“We’ve got to help them understand that our policies are the things that lead to humans flourishing,” Johnson said of the Latino community.
He was asked by Chaminie Wheeler, a local pediatrician, how Trump would manage healthcare as president.
“Healthcare reform is going to be a big part of the agenda,” Johnson responded. “When I say we’re going to have a very aggressive first 100-day agenda, we’ve got a lot of things still on the table.” He rolled his eyes and said that there would be “no Obamacare.”
“You take government bureaucrats out of the healthcare equation and you have a doctor-patient relationship, better for everybody, more efficient, more effective than the free market,” Johnson continued.
Wheeler later praised Johnson’s answer after the event.
Arnaud Armstrong, the communications officer for Mackenzie’s campaign, spoke after the event about the importance of Johnson’s visit. He highlighted rising costs of living as an appeal for college voters to support Republican candidates.
“I think it goes down to those basic, fundamental issues we hear about,” he said.
Keith Nonnemacher, a resident of Allentown, Pennsylvania, said before the event that the high cost of living led him to become involved in politics for the first time in 40 years.
Nonnemacher said he was on a fixed income, explaining that under Trump, “things were better than what they are now.”
Monday’s event occurred the night before Trump spoke at the PPL Center in Allentown. Trump did not mention Hinchcliffe’s comments in his 85-minute speech, although they had resulted in multiple counter-protests in the Allentown area.
