The announcement came shortly before US media unearthed Facebook posts by Johnson which criticized then-candidate Trump in 2015, saying that he “lacks the character and the moral center we desperately need again in the White House.”
When asked what changed in the nearly eight years since, Johnson said that Trump’s performance changed his mind.
“During his 2016 campaign, President Trump quickly won me and millions of my fellow Republicans over,” stated Johnson.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was one of Trump’s staunchest supporters and even received his endorsement when he was elected to the post in January. But he later angered Trump by saying he might not be the “strongest” candidate for the GOP nomination and compromising with Democrats on some issues.
Trump currently leads all of his primary opponents by wide margins.
Johnson will likely have to perform a similar tight-rope dance not to anger the likely Republican nomination for President. He, like his predecessor, will have to balance the desires of the powerful House Freedom Caucus which is largely allied with Trump, the more mainstream members of the Republican party and Trump all while trying to keep the government open during seemingly endless funding debates.
It really appears that Johnson had no choice but to endorse the most popular politician among Republicans.