House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has received significant pushback from his own side of the aisle during his brief tenure in the position, most recently for his efforts to pass a slate of bills including, among other things, tens of billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid for Ukraine.

His rejection of concerns voiced by the GOP’s conservative wing have earned him praise from the Democratic caucus as well as a few moderates within his own party — including one former lawmaker who previously held the same title.

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), who now serves on the board of directors for the Fox Corporation, spoke out in support of Johnson’s strategy, which effectively ensured that President Joe Biden and the House’s Democratic minority achieved all of its policy objectives while stymying the legislative goals of right-wing Republicans.

“I think he found his footing and his voice,” Ryan said of Johnson, adding that “he did it as a statesman, risking his own personal political fortune for the greater good that he believes in.”

Clearly, many other Republicans interpreted the news differently, including a handful of House Republicans who have at least considered introducing a measure to vacate the speakership in a manner similar to the vote last year that resulted in the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

For her part, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) declared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the big winner after the weekend vote, writing on social media that he “thanks Speaker Johnson (D-Ukraine) for sending $61 BILLION of your hard-earned tax dollars to fuel a foreign war.”

Paul Ryan just spoke up to defend Mike Johnson on selling America out:

"I think he found his footing, and his voice. … He did it as a statesman, risking his own personal political fortune for the greater good that he believes in."

When Paul Ryan is your chief cheerleader,… pic.twitter.com/rMYm5DUZKA

— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) April 24, 2024

She went on to assert that the speaker “once again passed a bill with the help of Democrats while the majority of the Republican majority voted against it.”

Greene, who is spearheading an effort to eject Johnson, concluded her post by referring to him as “a traitor to our country.”

Meanwhile, House Democrats including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) have rushed to Johnson’s defense, vowing to protect him from a GOP motion to vacate.

“I disagree with Speaker Johnson on many issues, and I’ve been very critical of him,” Khanna said. “But he did the right thing here and he deserves to keep his job till the end of his term.”