‘What an embarrassment’: House Speaker Mike Johnson says Trump isn’t ‘expected’ to uphold the Constitution he’d swear to defend

If you thought the job of a U.S. president was to at least have a passing familiarity with the Constitution they swear to defend, well, you clearly didn’t get the memo from the Trump-Johnson School of Leadership.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump casually shrugged off the idea that he might be obligated to uphold the very document that defines our nation, because, as he put it, “I’m not a lawyer.” And then, in what can only be described as a masterclass in dodging accountability, House Speaker Mike Johnson—who is a constitutional lawyer, by the way—leapt to Trump’s defense with a shrug of his own and a whole lot of “I don’t think”s.

Trump, while speaking with NBC’s Kristen Welker on Meet the Press, was asked whether he believes in upholding the Constitution when it comes to due process for migrants. Seems like a pretty straightforward question, right? Not for Trump. His response? A resounding “I don’t know,” followed by a vague deferral to his “brilliant lawyers.” Brilliant lawyers whose job, apparently, is to serve as human shields whenever Trump doesn’t feel like answering a question.

When Speaker Johnson was later asked about this glaring moment of constitutional indifference, he basically said, “Meh, no big deal.” According to Johnson, the President of the United States isn’t “expected” to be an expert on the Constituion.  The deepest irony in this constitutional comedy of errors is that both Trump and Johnson have routinely positioned themselves as the last defenders of the Constitution against liberal overreach. 

They’ve wrapped themselves in constitutional reverence when it suits their purposes, only to plead constitutional ignorance when basic rights for vulnerable populations come into question. Johnson concluded his hallway constitutional seminar with the assurance that Trump would uphold the Constitution “as he’s demonstrated earlier.” Which earlier demonstrations might those be? His careful respect for congressional oversight? His peaceful acceptance of election results as outlined in the Constitution?

The Constitution isn’t a buffet where presidents can pick which rights they’ll recognize based on who’s claiming them. Speaker Johnson, as second in line to the presidency and a self-proclaimed constitutional expert, should know better. We should remind them that defending the Constitution requires actually knowing what’s in it. And if that’s too much to ask of a president, perhaps we should reconsider what we’re willing to accept from those who would lead us.