The Louisiana representative cited privacy as to why there are no pictures of his “adopted” child in public family photos.

Mike Johnson’s meteoric elevation from an under-the-radar congressman from Louisiana to second-in-line to the U.S. presidency sent journalists, Democrats and Republicans alike to uncover information about the personal and professional history of the most right-wing and least experienced House Speaker in history, who took the top job on Wednesday.

On the day Johnson was voted in, several major right-wing social media accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter, began circulating clips of an interview Johnson gave to PBS in 2020, in which he told journalist Walter Isaacson that the police killing of George Floyd was “an act of murder” and called for “systemic change.” Notably, Johnson said in the interview that he had learned about racism in America through the experience of raising a Black son, Michael.

  • FuglyDuckEnglish
    22•1 year ago

    Having a black adopted son and learning the realities of racism in America and learning from it is a good thing

    Has he learned from it, though? I don’t know enough to know about if he has or not.

    Also, what were the motives in raising that kid? A lot of evangelical christians view adoption as a way to proselytize and they tend to treat those kids like shit- and usually white washing the kid. (see, for example, most adoption campaigns run by christian organizations… especially those that specialize in placing foreign kids- or indigenous kids.)

    I can’t speak to their motives, either, but the nobility of an act depends entirely on the motives behind the act. if somebody, for example, offs putin only to gain power themselves and continue on… that is quite different than offing putin to end the war in ukraine, yes?

    • @CmdrShepardEnglish
      9•1 year ago

      I find it really odd they were able to get an adopted child immediately after getting married. I have some friends who’ve been trying to adopt unsuccessfully for years and they’re fairly straight-edge professionals.

      • FuglyDuckEnglish
        11•1 year ago

        from NYT

        In his public remarks over the years, Mr. Johnson describes Michael as his son and did not correct an interviewer who described Michael as “adopted.” Ms. Day said in an interview that the Johnsons did not formally adopt Michael because of the “lengthy adoption process.” Ms. Day declined to say whether Michael was using “Johnson” as his surname.

        So, I’m not sure who Day is, that’s the only time they mention her. but apparently Ms Day is saying that, it wasn’t a “real” adoption. whatever that means. non legal, but the kid lived with them? they abducted him? he really is his son, but didn’t want to admit that?

        • @CmdrShepardEnglish
          6•1 year ago

          So we have another Gaetz on our hand with this mystery boy who previously lived with him but is of no relation or guardianship?

        • @CmdrShepardEnglish
          7•1 year ago

          From another reply, it seems they never actually filled out any paperwork to adopt the guy so apparently he just lived with them for a little bit if he actually exists at all.

      • drphungkyEnglish
        1•1 year ago

        Not how it should work necessarily, but if they’re trying to adopt a white baby it’s a very different wait time compared to a black 14 year old.