House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) faced significant backlash on social media after making what many labeled an “epic Freudian slip” while attempting to distance the Republican Party from Nazi ideology.
The Louisiana Republican was responding to questions about a U.S. Capitol police investigation into a swastika spotted during a Zoom call on a cubicle used by Angelo Elia, a staffer for Rep. Dave Taylor (R-OH). Johnson emphasized that the GOP opposes Nazism.
“That is not the principles of the Republican Party,” Johnson stated. “We stand for the founding principles of America. 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.”
He continued, “We have stood against that, we have fought against the Nazis,” before apparently misspeaking. Johnson then added, “We defended that evil ideology. We roundly condemn it, and anybody in any party who espouses it, we’re opposing that.”
Johnson did not immediately catch or correct the apparent gaffe, but social media users quickly took notice and responded with sharp criticism.
The Lincoln Project tweeted, “Epic Freudian slip.” The House Majority PAC called it the “Freudian slip of the century.”
X user medbeds & ballyhoo commented, “Mike Johnson says ‘we’ve defended that evil ideology’ while talking about Nazis. Lord, the Freudian slippage was so loud, I think it caused a sonic boom.”
HuffPost correspondent Arthur Delaney noted, “Mike Johnson accidentally said ‘defended’ instead of ‘defeated’ when talking about the US fighting Nazis in WWII in response to a question about the group chat,” referring to a newly revealed group chat where Young Republicans leaders reportedly used racial slurs and praised Adolf Hitler.
Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director for the Campaign for New York Health, added, “Speaker Mike Johnson is accidentally honest.”
Bluesky user Tom Wellborn wrote, “Mike Johnson says they defended that evil Nazi ideology. Rapid-fire lies jam the tongue, and the truth leaks out.”
Others criticized the GOP more broadly: “The GOP plays freedom hymns while winking at Nazis, swimming in racist group chats. The mask slips, the brownshirt shows. Evil spreads.”
This incident highlights the tense atmosphere surrounding recent revelations about extremist sympathies within certain Republican circles and the party leadership’s attempts to publicly denounce such ideologies.
https://www.rawstory.com/mike-johnson-2674205504/
