House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Sunday he is not placing party before country in supporting Donald Trump for president.
“[I]magine the speaker of the House not supporting the duly-elected nominee of our party, therefore creating a chasm in our party to split us in half, which basically helps deny us the White House and strong majorities in Congress,” Ryan said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “The last thing I want to see happen is another Democrat in the White House, I don’t want to see Hillary Clinton as president.”
Host Chuck Todd responded: “You just made a case, though, of party over country.”
“No, I didn’t!” Ryan blasted back. “I know Hillary Clinton won’t agree with anything we want to do. She’ll put a bad judge on the Supreme Court. She won’t agree with any of the conservative reforms we’re trying to do.”
“I have spoken with our nominee a number of times about our agenda, about conservative principles, and about the policies we need to put in place in order to save the country, and we have so much more common ground than any other thing, and that is why I’m voting for our nominee,” Ryan added.
Ryan also said that if he hears anything that he doesn’t like coming from Trump, he won’t be shy about voicing disapproval. But he hopes he will have to do that less as the convention nears.
“If something is done and said that I don’t agree with, that I think that puts a bad label on conservatism, then I’m going to speak out on it, as I have, as I will continue to do, and as I hope I don’t have to keep doing,” Ryan said.
