House speaker Paul Ryan responded Tuesday morning to new poll findings that more Republicans trust Donald Trump than him to lead the GOP.
“I hope it’s Donald Trump—he’s getting the nomination,” Ryan said matter-of-factly at the House Republican leadership’s weekly briefing.
“Good lord, I hope it is, because the person who’s getting the nomination of our party is the person to lead our party.”
The survey results come from an NBC News tracking poll of registered Republicans and leaning Republicans, showing Trump with 58 percent and Ryan with 39 percent in response to the question, “Who do you trust more to lead the Republican party?”
Just last week, however, Trump stated that it was Ryan who is the party boss.
“I would say Paul for the time being, and maybe for a long time,” he told Greta van Susteren.
Ryan and Trump, along with top GOP officials, are in the midst of unifying, with the speaker and presumptive presidential nominee meeting last Thursday to begin what has been described as a sort of healing “process” after a bitter and rowdy primary. Ryan called the encounter “encouraging.”
He reiterated Tuesday that the party was still not yet on the same page.
“I think we all realize that to pretend [to have] unification after one of the most divisive primaries in memory is to go into the fall at half strength,” he said.
