House Republicans reelected Mike Johnson (R-La.) as Speaker on Jan. 2. Conservative firebrands set aside their anger about the last-minute budget deals Johnson cut with Democrats, which averted multiple government shutdowns, to provide the narrow margin of victory.

President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement certainly played a pivotal role. So did the possibility that the 2025 Republican trifecta — control of the White House, the Senate and the House — will convince the Speaker to implement the priorities of his conservative colleagues. These members were no doubt pleased by Johnson’s recent acknowledgment that Congress had failed to address “the grave threat” deficit spending poses to America’s economic and national security and his vow to “reduce the size and scope of the federal government.”

Given the Republicans' razor-thin House majority, no one can be certain what the Speaker can and will do in 2025. But in the search for the “real” Mike Johnson, it seems wise to take the advice of Maya Angelou: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

Here are highlights from the record of this little-known yet very powerful politician.

A committed foe of abortion, Johnson claims that if the nation had not given “constitutional cover to the elected killing of unborn children,” and women were producing more babies, slashing entitlement programs might not be necessary.

That said, as chair of the House Republican Study Committee, Johnson proposed massive cuts in the social safety net. He suggested reducing Social........

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