What Mike Johnson said to President Biden after he was caught eye-rolling during the State of the Union

Speaker Mike Johnson revealed what he told Joe Biden after getting caught rolling his eyes during his State of the Union address. 

During the annual address before Congress, the Cabinet, the Supreme Court and other distinguished guests, Speaker Johnson could be seen biting his lip, quietly taking in all President Biden had to say. 

Though he had instructed his conference to maintain decorum and not interrupt the 46th president, Johnson's facial expressions betrayed him. 

The Louisiana Republican could be seen furrowing his brow, posing perplexed looks and rolling his eyes as Biden simultaneously touted his own accomplishments while bashing the Republican's agenda. 

Just over a week later, at an event on Capitol Hill celebrating the relationship between Ireland and the U.S., Johnson stole a moment with Biden to 'apologize for the eye-roll memes that went around the world,' the speaker told Real Clear Politics.

Speaker Mike Johnson sits stoically behind President Joe Biden during the annual State of the Union address as Vice President Kamala Harris applauds. Johnson caught viral fame later that evening for rolling his eyes as Biden addressed the nation

Despite instructing his Republican conference to maintain decorum and not interrupt the president, Johnson could not help but expressing skeptical looks himself

The apology made the president laugh, and Biden told Johnson that he appreciated the speaker's behavior.

Biden noted Johnson's etiquette was better than that of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi during Donald Trump's final State of the Union address. 

'I’m just grateful you didn’t rip my speech up,' Biden said to the speaker. 

Johnson shot back: 'Well, Mr. President, don't think my friends back home didn't want me to light it on fire.'

The exchange between the two highlights Johnson's evergreen desire to be seen as a gentleman in addition to a politician. 

'When I go home,' Johnson has said, 'I want to look my kids in the eye and tell them that daddy acted like a gentleman.'

That may have played a role in why he sought to apologize to Biden, who he has frequently criticized. 

And Johnson usually doesn't pull his punches when aiming at the president. 

Speaker Mike Johnson made Joe Biden laugh when he apologized for rolling his eyes during the president's State of the Union address

'Joe Biden’s foreign policy has been an absolute disaster,' Johnson said last week. 

'Look, the Biden border catastrophe is the number one priority of House Republicans, and it remains the number one priority of the American people,' he said recently, hitting the president for his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The speaker bashed Biden for his State of the Union address shortly after it concluded, calling it a 'campaign speech and a pretty vitriolic one at that.'

When pressed on his facial expressions directly after the speech, Johnson thought he had played it cool. 

'People are saying that I made funny facial expressions, I tried to keep a poker face, but it was very difficult,' he said at the time. 

His apology to Biden for his eye-rolling, however, confirmed he had second thoughts about his gentlemanly disposition. 

Still, as politics become more damaging for all those involved, Johnson's apology is a rare and welcome action in Washington.