Following a late Tuesday evening vote to name him the GOP nominee and a clean, party-line vote Wednesday afternoon, resulting in his being elected the 56th Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) officially took the gavel and addressed his colleagues as their Speaker-Elect, before being sworn in. 

In an inspired yet humble 18-minute speech, Johnson demonstrated why, though his path to the speakership was rather unconventional, he may be the right man in the right place at the right time. He started off expressing gratitude. He thanked Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for his introduction and expressed hope that they could find ways to work together. He thanked his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), for his service and his leadership. He thanked the House staff for their hard work during a grueling process. 

He thanked his wife, Kelly, noting she wasn't able to be there because they'd been unable to secure a flight for her on such short notice, adding, "This happened sort of suddenly." He thanked his children and the rest of his family, as well as the people of the state of Louisiana. Lastly, he thanked his colleagues for entrusting him with the role, noting the historic, unprecedented nature of the times, noting, "The challenge before us is great, but the time for action is now. And I will not let you down."

He addressed the American people, affirming:

"We hear you, we know the challenges you are facing, we know that there's a lot going on in our country, domestically and abroad, and we are ready to get to work again to solve those problems, and we will. Our mission here is to serve well, to restore the people's faith in this house, a great and essential institution."

He spoke of his father, a firefighter who was badly injured on the job in 1984 and left disabled, living for decades after with pain. Sadly, Johnson's father died of cancer three days before he was elected to Congress. Johnson became understandably emotional recalling his father and his desire to make him proud. 

He referenced Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), teasing her for giving "one of her long, eloquent speeches" shortly after he began his freshman term in Congress:

"And not that I was not enraptured by the speech, but I looked at the top of the chamber and saw the face of Moses staring down. And I just felt in that moment the weight of this place, right? The history that is revered here and the future that we are called to forge. And I really was just kind of almost overwhelmed with emotion."

Johnson acknowledged the strength and greatness of America, noting that "A strong America is good for the entire world." He referenced his belief God has raised each member of Congress to lead, acknowledging what a huge responsibility that is. 

Speaker @RepMikeJohnson outlines the seven core principles that have made us the most successful nation in the history of the world:

1. Individual Freedom
2. Limited Government
3. The Rule of Law
4. Peace Through Strength
5. Fiscal Responsibility
6. Free Markets
7. Human Dignity pic.twitter.com/l4BGFRnvNW

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 25, 2023

He laid out what he believes are the seven core principles that have made America the most successful nation in the history of the world: 

1. Individual Freedom
2. Limited Government
3. The Rule of Law
4. Peace Through Strength
5. Fiscal Responsibility
6. Free Markets
7. Human Dignity

He outlined the things he intends his speakership to be known for: decentralizing the power, members being more involved and having more influence in the process on major issues, "trust and transparency and accountability," honesty and integrity, and good stewardship of the treasury. 

He closed with this: 

"Last thing I'm going to say is a message to the rest of the world. They have been watching this drama play out for a few weeks. We have learned a lot of lessons. Through adversity, it makes you stronger. And we want our allies around the world to know that this body of lawmakers is reporting again to our duty stations. Let the enemies of freedom around the world hear us loud and clear. The people's house is back in business."

The full speech can be viewed below.