House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) concurred with former President Donald Trump’s plan to deport “close to 20 million people” while speaking to a crowd at the Hudson Institute think-tank on Monday. “We will be dealing with this for decades to come,” Johnson told the crowd, in reference to the number of people illegally immigrating to the United States. Johnson then went on to endorse Trump’s plan to “start the largest deportation effort in history.” “It’s needed. We need to find all these dangerous people, criminals. They’ve emptied out prisons in Central America and sent them all over the border,” he added. Johnson, who almost lost his job for supporting sending aid to Ukraine, summarized the GOP’s approach to foreign affairs as being “realists.”“The Republican Party is not one of nation builders or careless interventionists. We don’t believe we should be the world’s policemen. Nor are we idealists who think we can placate tyrants.” On the subject of NATO funding, he echoed Trump’s complaints about other nations riding on America’s coattails. Yet, he also endorsed the “Reagan doctrine” or peace through strength, adding “we’re going to be in serious trouble” otherwise.
