House Speaker Paul Ryan acknowledged Thursday that the Republican presidential nomination process could result in a convention fight this summer, and he condemned recent remarks by front-runner Donald Trump that a riot could result if he isn’t the nominee at the end of the process.
“We are getting our minds around the idea that this could very well become a reality,” Ryan, R-Wis., said Thursday when asked about an open convention.
Ryan, in his role as speaker, also serves as the Republican National Convention chairman. He would play a key role overseeing the convention if candidates Trump, Ted Cruz, or John Kasich are unable to garner the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination. If no candidate reaches the number, the decision would be left up to convention delegates.
Ryan said Republicans now see “that this is more likely to become an open convention than before.”
Ryan also dismissed the idea that he would swoop in as the nominee, an idea pitched this week Ryan’s predecessor, former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
“It’s not me,” Ryan said. “I saw Boehner last night and I told him to knock it off. It’s not going to be me. It should be someone who is running for president.”
Ryan criticized Trump for warning “I think you’d have riots,” if he is not chosen at the convention, which takes place in Cleveland in July.
“Nobody should say such things in my opinion,” Ryan said. “To even address or even hint at violence is unacceptable.”
