This week’s chaos in the House shows us what a second Trump term would look like

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. And just like in every other time this past Congress, Democrats will bail out House Speaker Mike Johnson because extremists in his conference will say “Hell no.” Just like other times, they will suspend the rules to pass the legislation, meaning it will not have to go through the Rules Committee because Johnson acknowledges that the far-right members of his conference would block it. That chaos included Jim Jordan losing three votes on the House floor, George Santos pilfering someone’s baby, and Johnson ending up as the unexpected yet unanimous GOP choice. But aside from all the humor and absurdity that has come with the Mojo Dojo Casa House of Representatives, this also offers a preview of what Washington under a second Trump presidency would look like. And on Tuesday, when he was asked whether he would observe regular order if Kamala Harris wins in November, he said, “If we have a free, fair, and safe election, we're gonna follow the Constitution, absolutely.” Of course, Johnson himself would be the one to determine if the election was free, fair and safe as speaker at the beginning of the next Congress if Republicans keep the House, and would call Congress into session at the beginning of the next Congress if Democrats win the majority to begin the handoff process.