This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2025 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by <a href="https://www.factset.com/" data-omtr-intcmp="topnav_more_factset">Factset</a>. Powered and implemented by <a href="https://www.factset.com/solutions/business-needs/digital-solutions" data-omtr-intcmp="topnav_more_factset_digital_solutions">FactSet Digital Solutions</a>. <a href="https://www.factset.com/privacy" data-omtr-intcmp="topnav_more_factset_privacy">Legal Statement</a>. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by <a href="https://lipperalpha.refinitiv.com/" data-omtr-intcmp="topnav_more_refinitive_info">Refinitiv Lipper</a>. <br>House Speaker Mike Johnson reacts to President Biden’s farewell address and discusses the incoming Republican agenda on ‘Hannity.’<br>House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Friday recounted a meeting with President Biden from early last year when the president appeared to forget he signed an executive order pausing the export of liquified natural gas (LNG).<br>Johnson publicly recalled the story for the first time to Bari Weiss during an episode of her podcast "Honestly" for The Free Press after saying that through his "personal observation" in dealing with Biden, the president "has not been in charge for some time." Johnson’s story was first reported by the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/joe-biden-age-election-2024-8ee15246" rel="nofollow">Wall Street Journal in June,</a> though the newspaper’s reporting relied on anonymous sources at the time.<br><a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/when-mike-johnson-knew-joe-biden-not-in-charge" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">When Weiss asked </a><a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/when-mike-johnson-knew-joe-biden-not-in-charge" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Johnson </a>to elaborate on his observations, the speaker began his tale of how Biden’s staff kept brushing off his attempts to schedule a meeting with the president in January 2024 amid "big national concerns" that Johnson said he "was losing sleep over."<br>Johnson said that Biden’s staff finally relented after some pressure from the media and invited him to the Oval Office to meet with the president. Johnson, however, said the meeting did not start as expected.<br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/wrong-headed-energy-industry-leaders-blast-biden-admin-report-natural-gas-exports" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>‘WRONG-HEADED’: ENERGY INDUSTRY LEADERS BLAST BIDEN ADMIN REPORT ON NATURAL GAS EXPORTS</strong></a><br><span>Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 7, 2025.</span> <span>(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)</span><br>"I show up and I realize it's actually an ambush 'cause it's not just me and the president," Johnson said. "It's also Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem, you know, The CIA Director."<br>Johnson said the group began to "hot box" him on Ukraine funding <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/person/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">when Biden asked</a> if he could have the room with him, a request that Johnson said left the president’s staff visibly concerned.<br>Once Biden and Johnson were alone in the Oval Office, the speaker asked the president about his pause on LNG exports. <br>"I cannot answer this from my constituents in Louisiana," Johnson recalled telling Biden. "Sir, why did you pause LNG exports to Europe? Liquefied natural gas is in great demand by our allies. Why would you do that? Cause you understand we just talked about Ukraine, you understand you are fueling Vladimir Putin’s war machine, because they gotta get their gas from him."<br><span>President Joe Biden attends the Department of Defense Commander in Chief farewell ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall on Jan. 16, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia.</span> <span>(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)</span><br>Johnson recounted how a stunned Biden replied: "I didn’t do that."<br>Biden initiated a pause on new LNG export permits in January 2024, a move which has been <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-dems-join-gop-rebuke-biden-lng-export-pause-whole-of-government-attack-us-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">widely criticized</a> by the oil community and bipartisan lawmakers in the House.<br>Johnson said that when he reminded the president of the executive order he had signed just weeks ago, Biden denied that what he had signed was a pause on LNG.<br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-issues-sweeping-offshore-oil-gas-drilling-ban-625m-acres-federal-waters-ahead-trump-transition" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>BIDEN ISSUES SWEEPING OFFSHORE OIL, GAS DRILLING BAN IN 625M ACRES OF FEDERAL WATERS AHEAD OF TRUMP TRANSITION</strong></a><br>Johnson said he argued that the pause would do "massive damage to our economy, national security," and he even suggested that the president’s secretary print out a copy of the order so that the two of them could read it together.<br>"He genuinely did not know what he had signed," Johnson said. "And I walked out of that meeting with fear and loathing because I thought, ‘We are in serious trouble—who is running the country?’ Like, I don't know who put the paper in front of him, but he didn’t know."<br>Biden’s LNG pause threatens nearly 1 million jobs over the next two decades if the restriction remains in place, according to a study by the National Association of Manufacturers, which <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/biden-admins-lng-export-ban-puts-nearly-1-million-jobs-risk-study">Fox News Digital previously reported </a>on.<br>The <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/category/fox-news-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">export ban</a> would stifle the U.S. GDP by between $122.5 billion and $215.7 billion in 2044, while between $26.9 billion and $47.7 billion in tax and royalty revenues to federal, state and local governments would be at risk in 2044 if the permit pause persists, the study found.<br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/apps-products?pid=AppArticleLink" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><u>CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP</u></strong></a><br>President-elect Trump, however, reportedly <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-planning-bidens-lng-oil-drilling-during-office-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"plans to go strong on the issue"</a> of LNG exports when he assumes office, sources told Reuters in November.<br><i>Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady and Eric Revell contributed to this report.</i><br>Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.<br>By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a> and <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/terms-of-use">Terms of Use</a>, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.<br>Subscribed<br> You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! <br> This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2025 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by <a href="https://www.factset.com/" data-omtr-intcmp="footer_factset">Factset</a>. Powered and implemented by <a href="https://www.factset.com/solutions/business-needs/digital-solutions" data-omtr-intcmp="footer_factset_digital_solutions">FactSet Digital Solutions</a>. <a href="https://www.factset.com/privacy" data-omtr-intcmp="footer_factset_privacy">Legal Statement</a>. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by <a href="https://lipperalpha.refinitiv.com/" data-omtr-intcmp="footer_refinitive_info">Refinitiv Lipper</a>. <br><br><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMinwFBVV95cUxQZzI5WlZod3gtZWkyeS0yeE5UZjNhWTNIM3FFLVRlSUhieEc4anpsbXJfNklvX0pMakRYVVliTDExZ0I2ZlREcl9DR09vU0lpUmsyWTg5UTdLcERzU2I2ZVFqam5GdktTZzY3Qlh1NmE2ajk0TEg3UG9rTU8yNWRsd1lsVU0tSDc3YmRBNnZWNG04ZVZmWG5OUmtwRlZvSXPSAaQBQVVfeXFMT3A1Y3dXU3lqT1p5RWpRdkZWa09yb1lsQ0l0NUNpMXA4aUNTYzVkRk1nU3hMTWtCZHZNTlVXYnRqNDVfSFFSdWhBc0Q1Mi1YMmFNU0w0NENWbDhUMXpyb3VTbHNVdWRORGFKSGU0cVN6aTBnRXBiSU0wU1lxNGM4cW45ZjdTSXVpSGd1bFpQdW14UkxjSU5EMFR4a0lUM0RWVkwyMnY?oc=5">source</a>
