Speaker of the House Mike Johnson says that the “little secret” he and former President Donald Trump have been sharing regarding this year’s presidential election is “nothing scandalous.”
What is Trump’s ‘Little Secret?’
Trump suggested during his Sunday rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden that the “secret” would help Republicans in the November 5 election, immediately prompting concerns from Democrats that he might be referring to an effort to steal victory if he loses to Vice President Kamala Harris.
“With me, we’ve gotta get the congressmen elected and we’ve gotta get the senators elected because we can take the Senate pretty easily and I think without the little secret we’re gonna do really well with the House right?” Trump said. “Our little secret is having a big impact. [Johnson] and I have a secret. We’ll tell you what it is when the race is over.”
During a small rally in support of GOP congressional candidate Ryan Mackenzie on Monday, Johnson said that he and other Republicans were “having a ball” over speculation from Democrats about the nature of the secret before revealing that it was merely a “get out the vote” tactic.
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“It’s nothing scandalous, but we’re having a ball with this. The media, their heads are exploding,” Johnson said, according to The Hill. “It’s thing we have about — it’s a get-out-the-vote. It’s one of our tactics on get-out-the-vote.”
In comments to The Hill, Johnson later said that he would be “going to respect the law” with regards to the election while reiterating that the secret concerned efforts to boost Republican voting.
“All this conjecture is actually hilarious to us, that people are apoplectic about this. It’s a — it’s one of our get-out-the-vote strategies,” he said. “That’s what we’re talking about. And it’s almost a tongue-in-cheek thing.”
Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested in comments to The Hill that the secret was related to “countless telerallies reaching millions of Americans across the country in key regions that also helps bolster Republicans in congressional races.”
It was unclear why Trump said on Sunday that the secret would not be revealed until “the race is over.”
Newsweek reached out for comment to the Trump campaign via email on Tuesday night.
What Happens if Harris or Trump Doesn’t Concede to Election Results?
The presidential election, like all of the other elections taking place on November 5, does not require any candidate to concede defeat before a winner is declared and victory is certified.
Trump’s refusal to concede defeat after losing to President Joe Biden in 2020 did not ultimately prevent Biden from being sworn in as president after his victory was certified during the joint session of Congress that began on January 6, 2021.
However, the certification of Biden’s win in multiple states was challenged by Trump allies in Congress and a mob of Trump supporters, inspired by the then-president’s false claims of a “stolen election,” violently stormed the Capitol and briefly interrupted proceedings before the process completed.
Democratic New York Congressman Dan Goldman speculated during a CNN appearance on Monday morning that Trump and Johnson’s “secret” was “Donald Trump’s little secret plan with Mike Johnson is a backup plan for when he loses, and he tries to go to the House of Representatives to throw out the Electoral College.”
While Johnson indicated to The Hill that the secret instead had do to with encouraging Republicans to vote, he also would not directly refute suggestions that he might try to obstruct certification or overturn the election result if Trump loses.
What Happens if the Election is Too Close to Call?
If neither Harris nor Trump manages to secure 270 votes in the Electoral College—a scenario that is unlikely but not impossible—a “contingent election” would be declared and the selection of the next president would fall to the House of Representatives, which will be under Johnson’s control unless Democrats manage to flip the chamber next month.
Each state’s congressional delegation, rather than independent members of Congress, would then get to cast one vote for president in a contingent election. As more state delegations are currently controlled by Republicans, and will probably remain so even if Democrats take control of the House, Trump would likely be selected as president.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested while suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump in August that he could also become president “in a contingent election,” although the possibility seems very remote.
