This 12 months was crammed with cowardly conduct from GOP lawmakers, who rolled over at each flip to let President Donald Trump neuter them of their energy, trample on the Structure, and destroy the economic system and job market along with his idiotic tariffs and evil deportation insurance policies.
And their subservience to Trump didn’t do something to assist their very own political fates, as Trump’s approval ranking sinks to new embarrassing lows that threaten the GOP’s congressional majorities heading into the 2026 midterms.
Whilst his ballot numbers started to nosedive, Republicans nonetheless selected to defend Trump’s each whim—a lot in order that we launched the Congressional Cowards collection this 12 months, highlighting probably the most embarrassing Trump sycophants.
Now at 12 months’s finish, we’re crowning the inaugural Congressional Coward of the 12 months—the most important Trump toady of 2025, who deserves each final mocking jeer from Each day Kos readers.
There have been a couple of prime contenders.
For instance, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has mentioned a number of instances this 12 months that she was very “involved” about what Trump was as much as, however she by no means really asserted her energy to dam any of his actions. Cowardly conduct at its core.
We additionally contemplated giving the award to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who, sure, caught her neck out to criticize Trump, however then selected to minimize and run from Congress slightly than use her energy to rein him in.
Nonetheless, neither of these lawmakers held a candle to our final winner, who debased himself again and again in subservience to Expensive Chief.
So congratulations Each day Kos’ Congressional Coward of 2025: Home Speaker Mike Johnson.
Now let’s make a journey down reminiscence lane to recollect a few of Johnson’s most cowardly moments all year long.
Standing by Elon Musk’s DOGE catastrophe
As Individuals turned out in droves to protest former co-President Elon Musk’s damaging cuts from the now-defunct Division of Authorities Effectivity, Johnson utterly dismissed their considerations—going so far as deriding the American folks.
“The movies you noticed of the city halls have been for paid protesters,” Johnson mentioned throughout an look on CNN. “They’d Democrats come and fill the seats.”
In fact, not each protester was a Democrat. However even when they have been, why would somebody’s considerations be kind of worthy due to the political social gathering with which they affiliate?
However Johnson continued to indicate his disdain, saying that the protesters—a few of whom misplaced their livelihoods and advantages resulting from Musk’s merciless cuts—ought to really be thanking the billionaire buffoon for his DOGE effort.
“Elon has mentioned in current weeks and advised me in his workplace a pair weeks in the past, [that] he thinks it’s very attainable, this 12 months, to determine and remove a trillion {dollars} of waste of your taxpayer {dollars},” Johnson advised the Washington Publish in February. “You should be standing up and applauding.”
Yeah … we’ll cross.
Defending tariffs
Nearly nobody likes Trump’s damaging tariffs, which—regardless of Trump’s lies—are shouldered by U.S. companies and shoppers.
A November Politico ballot discovered that simply 22% of voters who supported Trump in 2024 assume that his tariffs are serving to the economic system. However that hasn’t stopped Johnson from defending Trump’s tariffs at each flip.
“Look, it’s important to belief the president’s instincts on the economic system,” Johnson advised reporters in April, proper after Trump issued his nonsensical “Liberation Day” tariffs that imposed huge levies on almost each nation, even ones uninhabited by people.
Even worse, Johnson has actively blocked Congress from asserting its constitutional authority to finish the tariffs.
“What are we, about three weeks into the tariff coverage of this new administration? I don’t assume it’s applicable for Congress to leap in the midst of that and attempt to legislate,” Johnson mentioned in Might.
Not solely does that make Johnson look weak, however it additionally implies that his social gathering now owns the adverse impacts that Trump’s tariffs have on the economic system, together with a spike in inflation and hammer to the job market.
Epstein information flop
Johnson’s most embarrassing debacle this 12 months was his dealing with of the Epstein information, serving as Trump’s righthand man within the effort to squash the discharge of the information.
However ultimately, Johnson folded when it grew to become clear that his indefensible battle was misplaced.
Even when Johnson was compelled to place the Epstein information invoice on the Home ground for a vote, he mentioned that he was voting for it with the idea that the Senate would water it down. This led to Johnson trying like a idiot but once more, after the Senate handed the invoice unchanged.
Had Johnson simply put the invoice on the ground months in the past, the Epstein information saga may have been outdated information by the point the 2026 midterms got here round. However by dragging his ft to appease Trump, the problem is now spilling over.
Pathetic deflections
In fact, there are occasions when Trump’s actions are an excessive amount of even for Johnson to take. However slightly than converse badly of Expensive Chief, Johnson takes the cowardly route of ridiculously claiming to haven’t seen any experiences of Trump’s abhorrent conduct.
Trump did one thing hypocritical? Johnson didn’t see it. The Trump administration brutally attacked non secular leaders? Johnson didn’t see that both. Trump is attempting to pocket $230 million in taxpayer {dollars}? Johnson doesn’t know sufficient to have an opinion.
Trump as soon as infamously mentioned that he may shoot somebody on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue and never lose any voters. And if he really did, we wager Johnson would let that slide too. He simply didn’t see it occur!
So this is to you, Mike Johnson, for being topped Each day Kos’ very first Congressional Coward of the 12 months.
You actually earned it.
