Former House Speaker Paul Ryan on Wednesday retreated from a recent statement about Democrats having a good chance at beating President Trump in 2020 if the race is about the president’s personality.
“To be clear, GOP wins elections when they’re about ideas not when they’re personality contests like Dems & media want. We’re clearly better off because of [Trump]. His record of accomplishment is why he’ll win re-election especially when compared to Dems’ leftward lurch,” Ryan tweeted Wednesday.
To be clear, GOP wins elections when they’re about ideas not when they’re personality contests like Dems & media want. We’re clearly better off because of @RealDonaldTrump. His record of accomplishment is why he’ll win re-election especially when compared to Dems’ leftward lurch.
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) March 13, 2019
Ryan told a crowd in Vero Beach, Fla., days earlier that “if this is about Donald Trump and his personality, he isn’t going to win the race.”
The Wisconsin Republican, who served a bit over three years as House speaker before leaving office in January said there are some Democrats he believes can defeat Trump in the 2020 presidential election — but did not name them.
Ryan and Trump have had a contentious relationship at times, especially during the 2016 presidential election. However, the former House speaker largely withheld his criticism of the president in the hopes that Republicans would stick together to pass his top legislative priorities.
