Paul predicts Speaker will be ousted in 2025

The upheaval in Washington D.C. has already begun as the every-other-year shuffle kicks into high gear.

The lame-duck sessions are coming to an end, and lawmakers who did not retain their seats are cleaning their offices, while incoming officials ride high on the success of the last election, as The Hill reported.

For at least one lawmaker, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), the 119th Congress might result in a position change despite keeping his seat in the House of Representatives.

There is a belief among some that Johnson's unexpected and tumultuous time as House Speaker might be coming to an end.

Lawmakers in Question

As part of his annual "Festivus" social media tirade, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced that he will be removed from his position as top House GOP leader before spring.

“I want to be the first to congratulate former @SpeakerJohnson, who will be gone before DC gets warm again,” Paul posted on the social platform X in his thread of roasts that he posts every year to skewer D.C.’s power players.

Paul advocated last week for Elon Musk, a billionaire entrepreneur, to succeed Johnson as Speaker, pointing out that the position does not require a House member to hold it by rule.

“Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk… think about it… nothing’s impossible. Not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds,” Paul posted on X last week.

'Festivus' Prediction

Paul made his prediction that Johnson would not last long at work public in order to celebrate "Festivus," the fictional holiday created by Frank Costanza of the popular 90s television series "Seinfeld."

Paul has used Festivus's "airing of grievances" as a means of expressing his displeasure with the political class during the previous ten years. The senator from Kentucky puts his criticisms of the political elite in Washington, DC, as "playful" and "sometimes not so playful... roasting."

Because of his handling of the budget negotiations with Democrats,  Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has already stated that he will not vote for Johnson to continue another term as speaker.

Last Monday, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) stated, "the most I've ever heard" regarding the speculation of Johnson's replacement. According to Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), who spoke with reporters last week, Johnson should "communicate better" with his conference attendees.

Johnson and other congressional leaders revealed a 1,547-page plan a few days before a government funding deadline last week, which enraged House conservatives. Both houses of Congress easily approved the revised bill after cutting it to 116 pages.