House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is facing widespread backlash — this time for dropping two words so jarring, so tone-deaf, they ignited a political firestorm: “Yield, man!” In defending Donald Trump’s push to deploy the military into major U.S. cities, Johnson managed to say the quiet part out loud — and Americans are not having it.
Speaking Tuesday, Johnson backed Trump’s controversial plan to send National Guard troops into Democratic-led cities under the guise of fighting crime. But instead of presenting a serious policy argument, Johnson argued that local officials should just submit.
“I cannot for the life of me understand how the Democrats think this is some kind of winning political message,” Johnson said. “Yield, man! Let the troops come into your city and show how crime can be reduced.”
Just like that, the Speaker of the House went full authoritarian — with hippie slang. And the backlash was swift, brutal, and widespread.
“The latest reminder that my former political party is utterly un-American,” said former GOP congressman Joe Walsh, echoing what many critics across the political spectrum were thinking.
Journalist Marisa Kabas ripped into the Speaker with sharp sarcasm:
“It’s like actually really uncool, man, that you won’t surrender to authoritarianism. stop being so square, man. you’re really killing the vibes, man.”
Then she added: “‘Yield man’ is so rapey jfc.”
Others were stunned not just by the phrase itself, but by what it represents: a top Republican openly encouraging Democratic cities — most of which have significant Black leadership — to submit to federal military control.
“‘Yield, man!’ The true cry of our Founding Fathers,” writer Rebecca Fishbein quipped.
“‘Yield, man! Let the troops come into your city’ is an extraordinary phrase,” wrote Adam Sternbergh, culture editor at The New York Times.
Legal experts weren’t laughing.
“JFC. Can’t think of anything more antithetical to the concepts of liberty and the rule of law,” said law professor Molly Ploofkins. “‘Yield, man!’ Let the military take over your city and your local law enforcement! (and by the way, we’re the party of small government!)”
Many pointed out the glaring hypocrisy: Republicans preach small government until it’s time to send in troops against political opponents. Trump’s threats of military force have focused exclusively on Democratic strongholds like Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Chicago — all cities with large Black populations and progressive leadership.
Tech attorney T. Greg Doucette wasn’t buying Johnson’s faux-outrage: “This clown wouldn’t be whining ‘Yield, man!’ if what Republicans were doing was popular.”
Bluesky user John Stucky nailed the grotesque undertone behind Johnson’s remark: “‘Yield man’ Good lord. This has such ‘you should just lie back and enjoy it’ vibes. Does he ever think before speaking?”
Journalist Justin Glawe took it one step further: “We’re already under martial law; they just haven’t said it yet.”
At best, Johnson’s remark was tone-deaf. At worst, it was a naked endorsement of using military force to override local control — something you’d expect from a strongman, not the Speaker of the House in a constitutional republic.
His defenders might claim it was a throwaway line. But let’s be real: there’s nothing casual about cheerleading a military takeover of American cities.
Watch Johnson’s remarks below:
Mike Johnson: "I cannot for the life of me understand how the Democrats think this is some kind of winning political message. Yield man! Let the troops come into your city and show how crime can be reduced." pic.twitter.com/NZ9JXkSn4y
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 9, 2025
