Ted Lieu trolls Mike Johnson's 'God thing' claim with House prediction

Representative Ted Lieu took a swipe at House Speaker Mike Johnson for claiming that he was confident about the Republican Party retaining control of the House after the midterm elections. Johnson claimed that the American public trusted the GOP to run the government, and that it was the reason behind his confidence. "We are going to win the midterms," he said during an interview. "I am very bullish about the outcome...with each passing day, I am more confident."

Lieu shared the clip on X and joked that it was God who said that Democrats were going to win the House. "God really doesn't like the largest Medicaid cuts in American history, and can't wait for the world to see all of the Epstein files," he added. The California Representative's was a jab at Johnson, who had said Republicans retaining the House was a "God thing" and that prayers were being offered on the grounds of the Capitol for the same.

"I've been openly saying this. And I told a big gaggle of Hill press reporters yesterday, I said, listen, this is a God thing. It really is. And we have intercessory prayers who are on the ground at the Capitol praying each of these things through. My colleagues know that. They know I believe that, and we are watching it happen," he revealed. Johnson also defended such acts, claiming that they were not "radical," as the framers of the Constitution also believed in "the power of prayer."

While Speaker Johnson may be confident of his party retaining the House, several polls suggest otherwise. With less than 100 days left for the midterm elections, Decision Desk HQ forecasts Democrats to wrest control from Republicans, winning 224 seats. As of July 28, DDHQ has given Democrats a 59% chance to win the House.

Additionally, a recent survey released by Emerson College Polling shows that Democrats had an 11-point advantage over Republicans on a generic congressional ballot, as per The Hill. According to Geoffrey Skelley, DDHQ's chief elections analyst, the survey "suggests a real range of opinions about what things are going to look like in the fall." One of the biggest issues that the GOP faces is the public perception of the Iran war as gas prices refuse to come down as a result.

As per a poll by The Economist/YouGov earlier this month, 57% of Americans believe that going to war against Iran was the wrong decision. Washington and Tehran had agreed upon a memorandum of understanding for a peace deal earlier this month; however, recent hostilities have rendered it irrelevant. "The challenge for Republicans is the Iranian conflict is heating up again," Skelley opined. "This is politically very bad for the GOP. For them to try to make a case that Democrats are too extreme, it's a lot easier to make that case if economic conditions are at least OK."