House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) took aim at broadcast journalists Monday night, accusing them of acting as “in-kind contributions” for Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign while defending former President Donald Trump’s decision not to release his medical records. Johnson’s remarks came during an interview on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, where he addressed questions about Trump’s transparency regarding his health.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham played a clip of Johnson’s earlier appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press. In the clip, host Kristen Welker asked Johnson whether Trump should release his medical records or cognitive test results, as he had once promised. Johnson dismissed the idea, saying it was “unnecessary” because Trump is “on display every minute.”
When Welker pressed about the public’s right to know details such as Trump’s cholesterol levels or any health issues that could affect his ability to serve, Johnson retorted, “The American people don’t care about the cholesterol level of Donald Trump. They care about the cost of living and the cost of groceries.”
Johnson’s comments on Meet the Press became the focus of discussion on The Ingraham Angle. Ingraham described the exchange as “embarrassing,” to which Johnson agreed, calling it both “comical” and “serious.”
“The broadcast news stations ought to be required to file paperwork now,” Johnson said, accusing them of providing free campaign support to Harris. “They’re giving in-kind contributions with all their air time for the Kamala Harris campaign. They’re trying to prop her up and, of course, they’re trying to diminish our nominee Donald Trump. And it’s absurd.”
Johnson claimed the media’s focus on January 6th and the 2020 election was out of touch with what Americans care about, asserting that people are more concerned with issues like the economy, crime, and the border crisis.
Ingraham added fuel to the conversation by referencing a false claim about Venezuelan gangs taking over apartment buildings in Aurora, a hoax popularized by Trump and debunked by local law enforcement. Johnson used the moment to criticize the media further, stating, “This is why Americans don’t trust the mainstream media anymore.”
“They’re messing with the wrong marines when they get J.D. Vance on the air or somebody like me,” Johnson said, emphasizing his confidence in defending his positions.
Johnson’s comments follow Trump’s own recent attacks on the media, where the former president called for an investigation into CBS over its editing of an interview with Harris, claiming it was “totally illegal” and demanding the government revoke CBS’s license.