House Speaker Paul Ryan humble-bragged about himself as a leader Thursday, telling CNN he is a better unifier than his predecessor John Boehner was.
“I think I do it better,” Ryan said on New Day. “Not to knock John, but I spend more time with all of our members on a continual basis.”
Ryan, the 2012 running mate to GOP nominee Mitt Romney, accepted the top House slot in November following Boehner’s October departure.
“Because I was a person that wasn’t looking for this job, what I’m trying to do is be responsible with the power that comes with this job and decentralize that power to make members more empowered,” Ryan said.
He has been attacked by Tea Party conservatives for pushing through the omnibus bill that did not strip funding for actions on immigration that the many on the right oppose.
But for all of the attacks, Ryan said he has tried to listen to the more than 200 House Republicans vying for his attention. He said he holds dinners with a new group of members every week and regularly meets with the House Freedom Caucus.
“We’re not focused on tearing each other apart. We don’t have the kind of schisms we had before. I think we’re actually getting some pretty big things done. Big highway bill, big education bill,” Ryan said.
