Speaker Paul Ryan told House Republicans on a conference call Monday morning that he’s done defending Donald Trump and will focus on maintaining his party’s increasingly imperiled House majority, according to sources on the call.
The message amounted to a concession by the highest-ranking elected Republican that his nominee for president can’t win — and lawmakers should act accordingly to save themselves and preserve a Republican Congress to act as a check on Hillary Clinton.
Ryan stopped short of formally rescinding his endorsement of Trump – but just short. His move carries immense risk and Ryan faced blowback from all sides: Trump and his surrogates preemptively warned Republican leaders they would pay a price for breaking from the nominee, and immediately after the call Hillary Clinton tweeted to her nearly 10 million followers that “Ryan is still endorsing Trump.”
A Trump spokesman, Jason Miller, wrote on Twitter after Ryan’s move that “Nothing’s changed. Mr. Trump’s campaign has always been powered by a grassroots movement, not Washington.»
Ryan told his members that “you all need to do what’s best for you in your district,» said a source on the call, giving rank-and-file lawmakers political cover to disavow Trump. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) urged the lawmakers to take a deep breath and focus on their own races.
It was the biggest and most dramatic split between the highest-ranking Republican lawmaker on Capitol Hill and the party’s presidential nominee. Ryan has pushed back repeatedly on Trump’s most outrageous comments or positions, but until now, he has refused to openly break with the nominee.
It’s a huge risk as well for Ryan and House Republicans, as they could face a potential backlash from Trump supporters. With less than a month to go in the campaign, an open rupture between the presidential nominee and down-ballot Republicans could turn off independent voters and depress turnout among base voters, compounding their problems from the top of the ticket.
«The speaker is going to spend the next month focused entirely on protecting our congressional majorities,» said AshLee Strong, Ryan’s spokeswoman.
Ryan will be campaigning in 17 states and 42 cities this month, with additional events planned, said GOP sources.
The conference call came as GOP congressional leaders and rank-and-file members have grown increasingly tired of Trump’s rhetoric, uneven public appearances and lewd language. On Friday, a 2005 videotape was released showing Trump making vulgar comments about women, including suggesting he could grab them against their will because he was a celebrity. The video spurred dozens of House and Senate GOP lawmakers to revoke their endorsements of Trump or say they will vote for vice presidential nominee Mike Pence.Trump apologized for his 2005 comments, but then tried to go on the offensive during Sunday’s presidential debate by repeatedly invoking accusations from women of improper sexual advances by former President Bill Clinton. Trump accused Hillary Clinton of trying to destroy the credibility of these women.
The move delighted some of the most hard-core conservatives but further alienated other Republicans, who see it as having nothing to do with beating Hillary Clinton.
Ryan did get some pushback on the call from Trump supporters. California GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher sharply criticized the leadership for not doing enough to support Trump, said Republican sources.
Politico October 10, 2016
