Donald Trump declined to fire back at House Speaker Paul Ryan on Wednesday, despite facing sharp criticism from the Wisconsin Republican over his comments about a federal judge’s Mexican heritage.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee told Bloomberg Politics he “didn’t out-negotiate” Ryan by securing his endorsement without walking back any of the comments or policies the House Speaker has opposed, as some in the media have suggested.
“He is a very good guy,” Trump said. “I think Paul and I will deal on certain issues.”
Ryan spent Monday and Tuesday slamming Trump for his repeated suggestion that U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel is incapable of impartially handling a case involving Trump University because he’s “a Mexican.”
“Claiming a person can’t do their job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment,” Ryan told reporters Tuesday morning.
On Wednesday, the House speaker assured GOP lawmakers in a closed-door meeting that he will continue to support Trump but not hesitate to condemn future remarks made by the billionaire if and when he disagrees.
A source close to Ryan confirmed that he will “continue to speak out when necessary so [Republicans’] identity as a party is not damaged.”
“He talked about needing to speak out from time to time, but never touched on anything about what other Republicans should do one way or another,” the source said of the meeting.
