Who dared to betray Donald Trump and did not vote for Mike Johnson?

In what can only be described as a miraculous escape from the jaws of political oblivion, Mike Johnson has clambered back into the spotlight with a 218-215 vote — albeit singed and sooty, as the reelected House Speaker.

From the get-go, it looked like Johnson was about to get the boot. He was teetering on the edge, with just one Republican defection away from losing it all to the solid wall of Democrats rallying behind Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. When the initial votes came in, it was clear Johnson was in hot water, with a few of his own party members giving him the cold shoulder. So, what’s a guy to do? Retreat and regroup. Johnson scurried off to a shadowy corner of the chamber, no doubt sweet-talking and strong-arming the renegades back into his camp.

So, which Republicans gave Mike Johnson the cold shoulder?

While the vote should have been a straightforward endorsement of the majority party’s leader, several Republicans initially refused to toe the line.

Thomas Massie openly defied Johnson, casting his vote for Majority Whip Tom Emmer instead. Earlier, Massie bravely declared, “You can pull all my fingernails out, you can shove bamboo up in them, you can start cutting off my fingers, I am not voting for Mike Johnson tomorrow, and you can take that to the bank.”

Others like Ralph Norman and Keith Self teetered on the edge of rebellion, initially withholding their support. Meanwhile, a cohort comprising Andy Biggs, Andrew Clyde, Michael Cloud, Paul Gosar, Andy Harris, and Chip Roy chose to skip their votes during the initial roll call, adding to the suspense and uncertainty of the proceedings. Amid this chaos, President-elect Trump reportedly intervened personally. With his own agenda hanging in the balance, Trump needed a compliant Speaker to champion his causes. And while we may never know the full details of these hush-hush conversations, it seems the President-elect’s powers of persuasion proved too much to resist. In the end, Norman and Self, along with the other initial holdouts, fell in line and switched their votes to support Johnson. Massie, however, remained the lone holdout.

In the end, Johnson emerged victorious, but not without a few bruises and a stark reminder of the challenges he’ll face as Speaker. With such a slim majority and a caucus full of wild cards like Massie, Johnson will need all his political skills to keep his troops in line and advance the Republican agenda.

So, if Johnson thinks this win gives him a breather, he better think again. He got his work cut out, and in the wild world of Washington, friends can turn into foes real fast. Good luck, Mr. Speaker. Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and maybe keep an eye out for any more lurking bamboo. Though, stranger things have happened in politics. I mean, we did just elect a reality TV star as President, so really, all bets are off at this point.