>> THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IN HOUSE SPEAKER, JANESVILLE NATIVE PAUL RYAISN REEMERGING PUBCLLIY. ♪ A HELIADNER THURSDAY NIGHT AT THE RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY, THE PROMOTIONS PROMISING A MAJOR ADDRESS ON THE FUTURE OF THE REPUBLICAN PTYAR POST-PRESIDENT TRUMP. THE O.TW >> FRANKLY HE WAS A BABY. HE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THE HELL HE WAS DOING. >> HAVE CLASHED, AND PERHAPS TELLING JUST MONDAY, IN THIS INVITATION OBTAINED BY POLITICO, RYAN HEADLINED A PRIVATE FUNDRAISER FOR ILLINSOI CONGRESSMAN ADAM KINZINGER, ONE OF THE MOST ANTI-TRUMP REPUBLICANS IN CONGRS.ES >> AS A PARTY ARE WE GOING TO PURSUE CONSPIRACIES AND FEAR AS A WAY TO WIN AN ELECTION BUT DO REAL DAMAGE OR ARE WE GOING TO TURN TO OPTIMISM AND HOPE? AND I DON’T THINK THERE’S RELYAL MUCH IN BETWEEN THAT. >> SINCE LVIEANG CONGRESS RYAN HAS KEPT A RELATIVELY LOW PROFILE UNTIL NOW. >> IN THIS HYPER POLARIZING SOCIETY, IN THIS FRAGMENTED ERA WE ARE IN. >> LAST MONTH, RYAN TELLING ETH ASSOCIATED PRESS, "IT IS GOGIN TO TAKE US A FEW YEARS TO SORT OUT WHO ARE WE, WHAT DO WE BELIEVE? MY, HOPE IS THAT WE RALLY AROUND A SET OF PRINCIPLES AND IDEAS AND POLICIES, T NOA SPECIFIC PERSON." PATRICK: MATT JOINS US LIVE. MATT, THIS LEADS TO THE QUESTION ABOUT PAUL RYAN’S FUTURE AND WHETHER HE WANTS TO RUN FOR OFFICE AGAIN? MATT: ALWAYS SOME TEA LEAVES. RYAN HAS BEEN ASKED THIS HE’S -- THIRES CENTLY.
Video above: Former House Speaker Paul Ryan returning to national spotlightEmerging from two years of relative silence, former House Speaker Paul Ryan joined the fight against Donald Trump on Thursday, urging fellow conservatives to reject the former president's divisive politics and those Republican leaders who emulate him. Ryan made his remarks during an evening address at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. He was critical of both Republicans and Democrats, though he saved his sharpest barbs for Trump, who is by most measures the leader of the modern-day Republican Party."It was horrifying to see a presidency come to such a dishonorable and disgraceful end," Ryan said, referring to the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol that Trump inspired on Jan. 6."Once again, we conservatives find ourselves at a crossroads," Ryan continued. "And here’s the reality that we have to face: If the conservative cause depends on the populist appeal of one personality, or on second-rate imitations, then we’re not going anywhere. Voters looking for Republican leaders want to see independence and mettle. They will not be impressed by the sight of yes-men and flatterers flocking to Mar-a-Lago."It's unclear how much impact Ryan's words will have in the broader fight for the future of the GOP, if any. Ryan, the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee, was among the most respected Republicans in the nation’s capital before Trump’s rise, but two years out of office, his open contempt for Trump is not in line with the vast majority of Republican voters and elected officials.A tiny but growing group of anti-Trump Republicans has struggled to steer the party in a new direction, even as Trump continues to promote the same false claims — that he would have won the 2020 election if not for mass voter fraud — that inspired the Capitol insurrection. At the same time, Trump is openly contemplating another presidential run in 2024.One of Trump's most vocal allies on Capitol Hill, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., lashed out at Ryan on Twitter ahead of the speech. "It really is amazing that Paul Ryan, who is the reason the GOP lost the House in 2018, is going to come out today and blame Trump for the problems in the GOP," she said, adding a shot at another Trump critic, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. "Paul, the problem is you and your pal Liz."Ryan spoke Thursday as the opening speaker for the Reagan library’s "Time for Choosing" series, which will later feature 2024 Republican presidential prospects such as former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.Those close to Ryan, 51, do not expect him to run for public office again, but they suggest he is paying close attention and remains concerned about the future of the party. The Wisconsin Republican also sits on the board of Fox Corp., which owns Fox News. In his remarks, Ryan described President Joe Biden's agenda as "more leftist than any president in my lifetime" and warned of exploding federal spending under the Democrats who control Washington. He lamented the GOP's interest in culture wars and "identity politics" at the expense of conservative principles. "Culture matters, absolutely yes, but our party must be defined by more than a tussle over the latest grievance or perceived slight," he said. "We must not let them take priority over solutions — grounded in principle — to improve people’s lives."The Republican Party has an opportunity to win elections and address critical policy challenges, as long as they don't get in their own way, Ryan continued."If we fail this test, it will be because the progressive left will have won by default," he said. "It will be because the conservative cause ... lost its way and followed the left into the trap of identity politics, defining itself by resentments instead of by ideals. It will be because we mistake reactionary skirmishes in the culture wars with a coherent agenda. It will be because we gave too much allegiance to one passing political figure and weren’t loyal enough to our principles."
Video above: Former House Speaker Paul Ryan returning to national spotlight
Emerging from two years of relative silence, former House Speaker Paul Ryan joined the fight against Donald Trump on Thursday, urging fellow conservatives to reject the former president's divisive politics and those Republican leaders who emulate him.
Ryan made his remarks during an evening address at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. He was critical of both Republicans and Democrats, though he saved his sharpest barbs for Trump, who is by most measures the leader of the modern-day Republican Party.
"It was horrifying to see a presidency come to such a dishonorable and disgraceful end," Ryan said, referring to the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol that Trump inspired on Jan. 6.
"Once again, we conservatives find ourselves at a crossroads," Ryan continued. "And here’s the reality that we have to face: If the conservative cause depends on the populist appeal of one personality, or on second-rate imitations, then we’re not going anywhere. Voters looking for Republican leaders want to see independence and mettle. They will not be impressed by the sight of yes-men and flatterers flocking to Mar-a-Lago."
It's unclear how much impact Ryan's words will have in the broader fight for the future of the GOP, if any. Ryan, the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee, was among the most respected Republicans in the nation’s capital before Trump’s rise, but two years out of office, his open contempt for Trump is not in line with the vast majority of Republican voters and elected officials.
A tiny but growing group of anti-Trump Republicans has struggled to steer the party in a new direction, even as Trump continues to promote the same false claims — that he would have won the 2020 election if not for mass voter fraud — that inspired the Capitol insurrection. At the same time, Trump is openly contemplating another presidential run in 2024.
One of Trump's most vocal allies on Capitol Hill, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., lashed out at Ryan on Twitter ahead of the speech.
"It really is amazing that Paul Ryan, who is the reason the GOP lost the House in 2018, is going to come out today and blame Trump for the problems in the GOP," she said, adding a shot at another Trump critic, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. "Paul, the problem is you and your pal Liz."
Ryan spoke Thursday as the opening speaker for the Reagan library’s "Time for Choosing" series, which will later feature 2024 Republican presidential prospects such as former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Those close to Ryan, 51, do not expect him to run for public office again, but they suggest he is paying close attention and remains concerned about the future of the party. The Wisconsin Republican also sits on the board of Fox Corp., which owns Fox News.
In his remarks, Ryan described President Joe Biden's agenda as "more leftist than any president in my lifetime" and warned of exploding federal spending under the Democrats who control Washington. He lamented the GOP's interest in culture wars and "identity politics" at the expense of conservative principles.
"Culture matters, absolutely yes, but our party must be defined by more than a tussle over the latest grievance or perceived slight," he said. "We must not let them take priority over solutions — grounded in principle — to improve people’s lives."
The Republican Party has an opportunity to win elections and address critical policy challenges, as long as they don't get in their own way, Ryan continued.
"If we fail this test, it will be because the progressive left will have won by default," he said. "It will be because the conservative cause ... lost its way and followed the left into the trap of identity politics, defining itself by resentments instead of by ideals. It will be because we mistake reactionary skirmishes in the culture wars with a coherent agenda. It will be because we gave too much allegiance to one passing political figure and weren’t loyal enough to our principles."
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