House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said he has no plans to run for president or any other office in the near future or ever, just after he announced he would not be seeking re-election this year.
In an interview with Ryan Tuesday, CNN anchor Jake Tapper said he found it hard to believe that Ryan would not run for the Senate or seek a presidential bid, and pressed Ryan if there were a possibility he would enter politics again in the future.
“Not while my kids are growing up,” Ryan told Tapper. “And obviously not in the near future — I really don’t see it. I really thought when I took this job, Jake, that this is the probably last elected office I would have. I’m not going to run for president. That is not my plan. I’m not going to do that.”
“I’m always going to advocate for the causes that I have, but right now the last thing I’m thinking about is running for something,” he added.
Will you run for political office in the future?
Speaker Paul Ryan: “Not while my kids are growing up … I really don’t see it” https://t.co/alQl4Nj4Bv pic.twitter.com/g56VkYUipS
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) April 11, 2018
Earlier on Wednesday, Ryan announced that he would not be seeking another term in Congress, noting that he wants to spend more time with his family.
“This was really about two things,” Ryan said on Wednesday. “I accomplished much of what I came here to do, and my kids are not getting any younger.”
“And if I stay, my kids are only going to know me as a weekend dad and that is something I cannot do,” Ryan added. “That is really it right there.”
Ryan is not resigning and will fulfill the remainder of his term until January.
