House Speaker Mike Johnson Attends Right-Wing Summit in Paris Amid Looming Government Shutdown
House Speaker Mike Johnson made headlines this weekend when he sent the House home early, despite a looming government shutdown next week. Instead of staying in Washington to address the pressing issue, Johnson will be jetting off to Paris, France to speak at an overseas gathering of right-wing leaders and influencers from Europe and North America.
The event, called the World Freedom Initiative, is being hosted by Republicans Overseas and will feature 22 speakers, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV), former Donald Trump campaign manager David Bossie, and various right-wing figures from France, Hungary, and other European nations.
According to the event’s website, the World Freedom Initiative aims to bring together conservative, patriotic, and center-right leaders to create strong ties, define common priorities, and engage in constructive exchanges. The event will focus on themes such as free speech, globalism, election campaign strategies, illegal immigration, and wokism.
However, the event has drawn criticism for featuring speakers who are known for their anti-Muslim views, such as French politicians Nicholas Dupont-Aignan, Jean-Frederic Poisson, and Eric Zemmour, who has been convicted of hate speech for inflammatory comments about migrants.
Zemmour will open the conference with a segment on “The Future of Right-Wing Alliance,” while Noem will close the event on Saturday. Other notable speakers include Nigel Farage, former British member of the European Parliament, and Devin Nunes, former U.S. Congressman and CEO of Trump’s Truth Social.
The decision to attend the event in Paris has raised eyebrows, as Johnson will be missing crucial discussions in Washington about the impending government shutdown. It remains to be seen how Johnson’s absence will impact the ongoing negotiations and whether his participation in the World Freedom Initiative will have any lasting effects on the political landscape.
