Newt Gingrich tells House GOP 'you can’t govern by shooting yourself in the head every day'

Former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich called for the House GOP to fall in line behind Mike Johnson as the leader in the congressional body this past week. 

In an interview with Politico, Gingrich expressed his displeasure over the potential attempt to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson saying, “The truth is, I would blame head-on the people who are acting like selfish idiots."

Gingrich name-dropped Rep. Matt Gaetz when he made the comment. He urged Johnson to bring the foreign aid bills forward even if it may cost him the speakership.

“Brave men die but once,” Gingrich added. “A coward dies a hundred deaths.”

Gingrich was also asked about a comment in the 1970s when he said a large "problem" in the Republican Party "is that we don't encourage people to be nasty."

"I think you have to take situations in their historical context. In the 1970s, we had a Republican Party that was in the minority," the former speaker began. "The challenge you have once you have the majority is that you want to be positive and get something done — and the country expects you to get something done. So that’s why I think this is a real challenge. The demons that Gaetz unleashed by going after [Kevin] McCarthy are still out there. You can’t govern by shooting yourself in the head every day."

Gingrich kept along these lines and said that unless the GOP has someone to bring forward as a speaker, Johnson should stay in. 

When asked if it would be a mistake to move forward to oust Johnson, Gingrich responded, "It would be totally stupid. My question would be, 'Show me the 218 you’ve got for somebody,' because otherwise what you’re doing is putting us through three weeks of looking like idiots."

The interview with Gingrich comes as Johnson is facing down the possibility of a motion to vacate brought originally by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) in March. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) recently backed the motion from MTG.