PoliticsHot Mic! Mike Johnson Caught on Tape Agreeing That Donald Trump Is 'Unwell' and 'Unhinged'
Mike Johnson was cornered on Capitol Hill, where he may have ruined his position with the president.
Oct. 2 2025, Published 1:31 p.m. ET
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson was caught agreeing with Congresswoman Madeleine Dean about President Donald Trump being “unwell” after he shared a controversial AI-generated video featuring Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries discussing minority voters and their influence in the presidential race.
The hot-mic moment occurred on Tuesday, September 30, on Capitol Hill and was shared the following day on MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes.
'He Is Unwell'
Mike Johnson subtly agreed that the president is 'unwell.'
During Johnson’s confrontation with Dean, the latter told the House Speaker, “The president is unhinged. He is unwell.”
Johnson responded, “A lot of folks on your side are too; I don’t control him,” indicating he agreed with the Democratic rep’s stance on Trump.
Dean then referenced the rambling speech Trump gave to senior military leaders earlier that day, where he told the audience that America is “under invasion from within.”
“Oh my God, please. That performance in front of the generals?” the congresswoman said to Johnson.
'Our Enemies Are Laughing'
The congresswoman told Mike Johnson that America's 'enemies are laughing' at the president and his administration.
The House Speaker claimed he hadn’t "seen" the president’s remarks, leading Dean to continue pressing him about Trump’s impact, “It’s so dangerous! You know I serve on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations; it’s a collision of those two things. Our allies are looking elsewhere. Our enemies are laughing. You have a president who is unwell.”
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Mike Johnson Defends Himself Against Hot Mic Moment
Mike Johnson explained to Kaitlan Collins that he and the congresswoman have different views.
When asked about his pesky encounter by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Johnson explained how he and Dean have different views, and at the end of the day, he wanted to prioritize how to aid in the government shutdown.
“I’m the Speaker of the House, so I represent Republicans and Democrats in that capacity, and I always hear complaints and concerns from members, and I always stop and hear that. I did that for Madeleine Dean; I respect her as an individual,” Johnson told Collins.
'I Told Her I Disagreed'
The House Speaker said he would rather focus on the government shutdown.
“We disagree on every policy matter, and she was concerned about a social media post of the president, which he meant as a joke, and we talked about that,” he continued, referring to Trump’s AI video about minority voters. “I told her I disagreed with her perspective on it, but I tried to bring her back to the real issue. The fight tonight is not about social media posts. The fight is about where they’re going to keep the government open for the American people.”
