Paul Ryan is the brains of the GOP. With each passing primary victory, Donald Trump is becoming its voice, if not its soul. Their contrast inevitabily will produce a clash. And although the House speaker said Thursday he’d come to terms with the presidential frontrunner, he also reaffirmed his commitment to the conservative vision that helped make him the most powerful Republican in Washington.

“I’m going to speak my mind. I’m going to defend conservatism as I understand it. I’m going to defend our ideas as the Republican party,” Ryan told CNBC’s John Harwood. “But we’re going to have to work with whoever our nominee is.”