Virginia congressman appears to fake a phone call for roughly 90 seconds to dodge a reporter’s question about Mike Johnson’s Social Security comments

Representative Rob Wittman of Virginia recently went to lengths to avoid a direct question about House Speaker Mike Johnson and his position on Social Security. The congressman took part in a staged phone call that lasted for about 90 seconds while a reporter tried to get an answer about the speaker’s possible plans for entitlement reform.

The footage later spread on X. The incident started when a reporter from MeidasTouch approached Wittman to ask about recent comments made by Johnson. The reporter wanted to know how the congressman would respond to what the speaker had said about Social Security.

During an interview with a Louisiana radio station on Monday, Johnson said the current path of federal spending cannot continue. His comments touched on several major programs that millions of Americans rely on, which is what the reporter aimed to ask Wittman about.

What Johnson said about federal spending and entitlement programs

According to Mediaite, Johnson stated, “The reason we are in trouble is because over 74 percent of federal spending is on autopilot, mandatory spending.” He added, “That’s your entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid and then things like Social Security. They have to be adjusted and fixed.” Johnson has drawn attention before, including when Republican senators criticized his health care strategy.

When the reporter asked, “Congressman, what is Mike Johnson’s secret plan to cut Social Security?” Wittman pulled out his phone. He tapped the device once and pressed it to his ear, then began a one-sided conversation. The footage appears to show the phone was not in an active call. The screen stayed lit and visible throughout, and it changed multiple times, which Mediaite reported was likely because Wittman’s ear was touching the display.

Wittman said into the phone, “Hello,” followed by, “Hey, how you doing? I’m good. I’m good with that.” As the reporter kept asking the question, Wittman continued. He told the person he appeared to be speaking with, “Yeah, I’ll be there in just a few minutes,” and later asked, “Yeah, it’s over at four sixteen?”

The reporter pressed on, asking, “No response, Sir?” but Wittman kept going. He told his supposed caller, “Listen, I appreciate that. I’ve got some more efforts that I want to speak to you about. There are actually more things that we have to be working on. Yeah, I want to make sure that we’re–” before trailing off.

When the reporter asked the question again, Wittman replied to the phone, “Yeah, listen, thanks. I appreciate your help on this. I really do need, I really do need some more of your input. Yeah, if you can, if you can actually reach out I’ll make sure that we do more of this. Yeah, listen, I really appreciate it. Thank you. Yes. Yes, believe me I understand. There’s more of those things that we need to work on. Yes. Well, thank you. Thanks again. I appreciate it. Thank you.”

Once the routine ended, Wittman did not go through the motions of hanging up a call. He simply swiped out of the screen on his phone to return to his home screen. Johnson has also faced questions over other claims, such as his remarks on Trump’s LA mayoral fraud claims.