House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing a wave of mockery from critics after accidentally saying that the Republican Party has “defended” Nazi ideology during a press conference on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Johnson told Newsweek that the speaker’s comments “OBVIOUSLY MAKE CLEAR that he was talking about how Republicans DEFENDED AGAINST Nazism.”
Johnson was addressing an incident where a staffer of Republican Representative Dave Taylor appeared to have a swastika in the background of a video call.
“He says that that’s not his, and there’s a proper investigation ongoing,” Johnson told reporters. “And the congressman did exactly what he should have done and that is report it.”
Johnson said he could not comment more until the investigation has been completed, but “obviously, that is not the principles of the Republican Party.”
“We stand for the founding principles of America. You want me to articulate them for you right now? Individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, human dignity. The things that lead to human flourishing,” Johnson said.
However, when addressing the principles of the Republican Party, Johnson said, “We fought the Nazis. We’ve defended that evil ideology.”
He continued, “We roundly condemn it, and anybody in any party who espouses it, we’re opposing that. I don’t know how else more simply to say that.”
Why It Matters
Critics seized on the gaffe, which is reminiscent of Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas saying last month that people need to “stop attacking pedophiles” during a Senate hearing while speaking about crime.
The Democrat-focused House Majority PAC, which aims to take back the House in the 2026 midterms, wrote on X: “Freudian slip of the century Mike Johnson says ‘we’ve defended that evil ideology’ while talking about Nazis.”
MeidasTouch co-founder Brett Meiselas also mocked the House speaker in a post on X in which he compared Johnson’s gaffe to Cruz’s, adding, “The truth seems to be slipping out a lot these days.”
What To Know
“I am aware of an image that appears to depict a vile and deeply inappropriate symbol near an employee in my office. The content of that image does not reflect the values or standards of this office, my staff, or myself, and I condemn it in the strongest terms,” Taylor said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Ohio representative’s office referred to the incident as vandalism in a press release.
Speaking to the press at the U.S. Capitol on the 16th day of the government shutdown, Johnson also tried to defend the party’s approach to the tense standoff with their Democratic colleagues in the Senate.
Johnson has repeatedly expressed frustration not only because of the harm inflicted on American citizens during the shutdown, but also due to the fact that the House of Representatives passed the spending bill last month, only for it to languish in the Senate.
What People Are Saying
Representative Dave Taylor of Ohio, in a statement: “Upon learning of this matter, I immediately directed a thorough investigation alongside Capitol Police, which remains ongoing. No further comment will be provided until it has been completed.”
What Happens Next
The investigation into the appearance of a swastika behind a congressional staffer is ongoing.
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Update 10/16/25, 12:31 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.