Former US President Donald Trump has caused unrest among Democrats with statements about a “little secret” between himself and House Speaker Mike Johnson. This led to speculation about possible plans to influence the election. Johnson later stressed that there was nothing “diabolical” going on.
Trump made the statement Sunday at his campaign rally in Madison Square Garden. The presidential candidate addressed his ally Johnson and predicted their “little secret” would help them perform well in the House elections. “Our little secret has a big impact. He and I have a little secret. And we’ll tell you what it is when the election is over.”
Not all Democrats were reassured that Trump was up to something innocent. “Trump has a lot of secrets. His medical records are secret. His tax records are secret. His phone calls with Vladimir Putin are secret,” Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman said, according to The New York Times. “He’s hiding a lot from the American people. Now he’s openly admitting hiding something from the voters.”
Chairman Johnson, an ally of Trump, later reacted with amusement to the fuss. “It’s nothing outrageous, but we’re having a lot of fun with it,” he said at another campaign rally. The “secret” was a tactic to get more voters to the polls. Johnson denied to news site The Hill that it was about plans to influence the election results if Trump loses again. “Total nonsense,” the Republican said. “We’re going to follow the law.”
