Mike Johnson wasn’t caught on ‘hot mic’ saying it’d be ‘huge’ for GOP if SAVE America Act lowered voter turnout
Footage recirculating online in March 2026 authentically shows House Speaker Mike Johnson being caught on a “hot mic” saying it would be “huge” for the Republican Party if the SAVE America Act decreased voter turnout to between 12 and 18%.
Forbes posted a live video feed that did catch pre-event chatter between Johnson, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, during which they could be overheard discussing the likely voter turnout in an upcoming Louisiana statewide election. Shortened clips from that feed were then posted online with incorrect captions to give the impression they were discussing the SAVE America Act potentially reducing voter turnout.
The particular election they were discussing had nothing to do with federal matters like the SAVE America Act and pertained to Landry estimating an increase, not a decrease, in voter turnout. In the end, voter turnout for the election they were discussing ended up being higher than Landry’s 12-18% approximation. At no point did any of the politicians say the SAVE America Act, or the SAVE Act as it was then called, would potentially cause a drop in voter turnout.
In March 2026, a video circulated online purportedly showing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson speaking to Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a fellow Republican, about how it would be “huge” for their party if the SAVE America Act reduced voter turnout to between 12 and 18% of the electorate.
The SAVE America Act, a bill that originally circulated as the SAVE Act, would impose stricter voter identification requirements in all 50 states.
For example, one Instagram user posted the clip within a reaction video. The user claimed it showed Johnson being overheard on a “hot mic” asking Landry about expected voter turnout and remarking, when Landry answered between 12 and 18%, “that would be huge for us.” Notably, the person providing commentary in the video said Johnson was praising a decrease in voter turnout by that range, while the caption said Johnson was praising a potential 12 to 18% total turnout. The post read:
Speaker Mike Johnson got caught on a hot mic saying the quiet part out loud: the SAVE Act could drive voter turnout down to just 12% to 18% and that would be “huge” for Republicans.
So let’s be clear, this bill was never about election security. It’s about voter suppression. Period. 🚨
The clip, as well as the claim that Johnson said low voter turnout would be good for Republicans, also spread on Facebook and Reddit (archived). The Reddit user also said the footage showed Johnson being pleased with voter turnout dropping to between 12 and 18%.
While the clip of Johnson and Landry speaking originated from an authentic, longer video, the version in the posts was edited in such a way that it left out the context that the pair were speaking about a higher than usual expected turnout in a Louisiana-only election. That election had nothing to do with the SAVE America Act, which Congress is still yet to pass, as of this writing (archived), and none of the politicians involved in the conversation ever mentioned the bill.
Therefore, we have rated this claim as mostly false.
Origin of the video
On March 24, 2025, business magazine Forbes posted a livestream on YouTube featuring Landry and U.S. President Donald Trump holding a press briefing over Korean car company Hyundai’s decision to invest $5.8 billion for the development of a steel manufacturing factory in Louisiana. Landry posted photos on Facebook that same day, showing that he and Johnson were there for the announcement.
Johnson, Landry and other attendees, including Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., appeared around a lectern about 10 minutes before Trump arrived. While waiting for the president, the various attendees talked with each other. From the audience’s perspective, Landry stood to the right of the lectern, Johnson to its left and Scalise, who was also involved in the voter turnout conversation, stood to the left of Johnson.
From the 11th minute onward, Johnson and Landry could be heard — likely through the microphone on the lectern between them — discussing an amendment that was to be put to a public vote. Scalise and Landry then discussed something scheduled to happen on Saturday (March 29, 2025) and Scalise mentioned a council race in Jefferson Parish (parishes are essentially Louisiana’s name for counties).
On March 29, just a few days after the news briefing, Louisiana held elections that were largely local, except for a few statewide constitutional amendment votes. Landry encouraged voters to support the amendments. He noted in the conversation that he did not think opponents had spent so much money against an amendment in a long time.
Then, at the 11:39 mark in the recording, Johnson asked Landry about turnout for the March 29 election:
Johnson: What’s the anticipated turnout?
Landry: Well, we thought it would be 12, but it looks like it may be 18%.
Johnson: That’d be huge for an election. I mean, for an amendment vote.
For a Louisiana election date without major races beyond amendment votes, 18% is a reasonably high turnout, not a low one. For example, the most recent amendment vote before then, held on Dec. 7, 2024, saw a turnout of only 11.3%.
The official voter turnout for the March 29, 2025, election wound up being almost double that at 21.5%.
The proposed amendments were overwhelmingly rejected by voters. Following the results, Landry issued a news release blaming the defeat on “Soros and far left liberals” for pouring “millions into Louisiana with propaganda and outright lies.”
At no point during the conversation between the three Louisianan politicians did anyone say the SAVE America Act, or the SAVE Act as it was then called, would potentially cause a drop in voter turnout.
