Speaker Mike Johnson's Ties To The Christian Right
The NPR Politics Podcast
NPR
4.4 • 25.7K Ratings
🗓️ 15 November 2023
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode: political correspondents Sarah McCammon & Susan Davis, and domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef.
The podcast is edited by Casey Morell. It is produced by Jeongyoon Han. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This message comes from NPR sponsor Shopify, the global commerce platform that helps you sell and show up exactly the way you want to. Customize your online store to your style. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at Shopify.com slash NPR. |
| 0:16.0 | Hi, this is Ian Desser from Portland, Oregon. |
| 0:19.0 | I'm getting over a case of bronchitis, and hearing Marilison with a scratchy voice made me feel like I'm not alone. |
| 0:25.9 | This podcast was recorded at 108 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023. |
| 0:32.1 | Things may have changed by the time you hear this, |
| 0:34.1 | and hopefully all sound a little less like a frog. |
| 0:36.5 | Okay, here's the show. |
| 0:37.8 | Mara sounds good no matter what she sounds like. She does and so relatable right for all of us in radio and audio. Oh absolutely. Hey there it's the NPR Politics Podcast I'm Sarah McCammon I cover the presidential campaign I'm Odette |
| 0:53.8 | USF I cover domestic extremism and I'm Susan Davis I cover politics. Today we want to |
| 0:58.9 | take a closer look at Mike Johnson the new Speaker of House, and to his ties to the Christian |
| 1:03.8 | right. The Louisiana Republican has lifelong ties to Christian activists and |
| 1:08.2 | leaders, but that also includes a rising crop of evangelical pastors who were allies of former President Trump, |
| 1:14.4 | some of whom played a role in undermining the 2020 election results and to some |
| 1:18.9 | extent the January 6th attack on the US capital. Sue and Odette, you've both been reporting on these ties |
| 1:25.0 | and they're getting some fresh scrutiny right now |
| 1:27.0 | because of Johnson's rapid elevation to House Speaker. |
| 1:31.0 | So Odette, for our listeners who are not as immersed in the world of extremism as you are, can you just step back and first explain what exactly about some aspects of this theology is considered extremist. |
| 1:44.0 | Sure, so you know I think many people by now have heard the term Christian nationalism |
| 1:50.0 | which is this movement that believes in a history of America that many historians would refute that the country was founded largely on |
| 1:57.8 | biblical principles and that it should primarily be a country for Christians. |
| 2:03.0 | Well, what we're talking about here with the ties |
| 2:06.6 | that Mike Johnson has within certain elements |
... |
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