The Hill News

President Obama said Monday that it is too early to assume House GOP leader John Boehner will become Speaker of the House in the next Congress.

Asked at a town-hall event televised on CNBC if he would participate in a direct debate with Boehner, since he is assumed to be Speaker if Republicans win control of the House in the midterm elections, Obama ducked, saying that the Ohio congressman might not achieve that position.

"I think that it's premature to say that John Boehner is going to be Speaker of the House," Obama said.

Obama minimized the hype surrounding Republican chances of winning back the House, even as the White House and congressional Democrats have elevated Boehner as their main target heading into the November midterms by warning that he could become Speaker if the GOP wins.

Recently, the duo has sparred through separate public statements over the state of the economic recovery and the Iraq War.

Earlier this month, the president traveled to Cleveland to deliver a speech about jobs and the economy, with the White House openly acknowledging it chose the site because Boehner had given an economic speech there in late August. 

Obama on Monday repeated his argument that Boehner and congressional Republicans want to restore Bush administration policies that helped cause the economic downturn.

"We have tried what they’re offering,” he said, arguing they did not work.

After outlining a defense of his administration's policies, Obama said, "I'm going to need everybody's support. I am happy to have that debate over the next several weeks."