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U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson is the 56th speaker of the House
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U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson is the 56th speaker of the House.
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Then-Rep. John McCormack, D-Mass., was the 45th speaker of the House
U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., was elected speaker of the House of Representatives on Oct. 25, becoming the 56th person to lead the chamber.
But some social media posts are claiming he’s actually the 45th speaker.
"45th speaker of the House!!" reads text in a TikTok video shared on Facebook. "Hear that!!! Omg!!"
The video begins with a Fox News clip of Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., saying: "It is my great pleasure to introduce the 45th speaker of the House, my dear friend Mike Johnson."
A woman in the TikTok video then says that Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was elected 52nd speaker of the House in 2007 as text from a Wikipedia post appears behind her.
"52nd, 45th," the woman says. "We went backwards?"
Later, an X post appears in the video that says, "Mike Johnson being sworn in as the 45th speaker went over everyone’s head. People are wide asleep."
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The woman also suggests that former President Donald Trump, the 45th president, is somehow involved.
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
The clip of Scalise is authentic, but he misspoke. That’s made clear in a transcript of his remarks shared on his website.
"It is my great privilege to introduce the (56th) Speaker of the House, my dear friend Mike Johnson, the speaker," it says on the site.
John McCormack, D-Mass., was the 45th speaker of the House from 1961 to 1971.
Pelosi served as the 52nd speaker of the House in the 110th and 111th Congress, from 2007 to 2011. After Republicans regained control of the chamber that year, then-Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, was elected as the 53rd speaker. He was succeeded by then-Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who was the 54th speaker. Pelosi was reelected to the position in 2017 and served for the 115th-117th Congresses before Republicans regained control and elected House speaker No. 55: Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
He was ousted in October, clearing the way for Johnson.
We rate claims that Johnson is the 45th House speaker False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Oct. 31, 2023
Reuters, Kevin McCarthy ousted as House Speaker in historic vote, Oct. 4, 2023
History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, Speakers of the House by Congress, visited Nov. 2, 2023
History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, MCCORMACK, John William, visited Nov. 2, 2023
UPI, A wake for former speaker John McCormack, Nov. 24, 1980
Congressman Steve Scalise, Scalise Celebrates Election of Speaker Mike Johnson, Oct. 25, 2023
YouTube, Majority Leader Scalise Celebrates Election of Speaker Mike Johnson, Oct. 25, 2023
Wikipedia, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, archived Nov. 2, 2023
The New York Times, House Elects Mike Johnson as Speaker, Embracing a Hard-Right Conservative, Oct. 25, 2023
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U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson is the 56th speaker of the House
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