U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson headlines Peoria-Tazewell Lincoln Day Dinner

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson. (X/Speaker Mike Johnson)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, shared his views with people in Peoria Saturday.

Johnson says the prosecution and just-concluded trial of former president Donald Trump is already backfiring on Democrats.

“In my travels over the last few days, I’ve been in the states of Ohio and Michigan and now in Illinois, everywhere we’ve gone, this has turned up the enthusiasm for our Republican ticket,” Johnson told reporters in Peoria before he headlined the Peoria-Tazewell Lincoln Day Dinner. “President Trump, as you saw, his campaign raised a record amount of money in the first 24 hours after the verdict was issued, over $58 million.”

Johnson said Trump is now more than a candidate; he’s a “symbol of one who is willing to fight back against corruption, the Deep State, and all the rest.

“And that’s a very powerful thing.”

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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