WASHINGTON—President-elect Donald Trump endorsed House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) to remain in his post, moving Wednesday to unify GOP lawmakers and avoid a replay of the leadership drama that dragged down the party over the past two years.

In January, Mike Johnson faces another vote to stay in the job that places him second in line for the presidency after Vice President-elect JD Vance.

Speaker Mike Johnson is beginning the hard fight for his gavel, a weeks-long campaign that starts Wednesday during internal House Republican leadership elections and will establish the new power centers in Congress for a Washington dominated by President-elect Donald Trump.

While Johnson has no serious challenger, he faces dissent within his ranks, particularly from hard-right conservatives and the Freedom Caucus withholding their votes as leverage to extract promises ahead.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is seen onstage at the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Johnson on Wednesday won the