Former President Donald Trump has shown that he does not intend to remain quiet, especially in response to his foes in the Republican Party.
In a statement this week, he criticized former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), who previously described the end of the Trump administration as “dishonorable and disgraceful.”
“A curse to the Republican Party”
Trump’s scathing response characterized Ryan as the wrong kind of leader for the GOP. Specifically, he blamed the Wisconsin Republican for the party’s 2018 congressional losses, noting that he was also on the losing 2012 presidential ticket along with nominee Mitt Romney.
Referring to Ryan as a “RINO,” or a Republican in name only, Trump denounced his efforts to influence the future of the party.
“Ryan should instead be telling them how to stop the cheating of elections and that we would have won if Republican leadership fought the way the Democrats did,” the former president wrote.
After reiterating his belief that he should have been the winner of November’s presidential race, Trump took aim at Ryan’s post-congressional gig as a Fox News Channel board member.
As a result, he claimed that “Fox totally lost its way and became a much different place, with millions of its greatest supporters fleeing for good,” he wrote, adding: “Paul Ryan has been a curse to the Republican Party.”
“We’re not going anywhere”
The statement went on to criticize Ryan’s ability to effectively lead and influence the GOP.
“He has no clue as to what needs to be done for our Country, was a weak and ineffective leader, and spends all of his time fighting Republicans as opposed to Democrats who are destroying our Country,” Trump concluded. “As a Republican, having Paul Ryan on your side almost guarantees a loss, for both you, the Party, and America itself!”
Although Ryan did not immediately respond to the former president’s attack, he delivered a message of his own during a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Thursday that indirectly took aim at Trump.
“If the conservative cause depends on the populist appeal of one personality, or on second-rate imitations, then we’re not going anywhere,” he said.
While Trump’s rhetoric has turned off some voters who might have otherwise supported him, millions more believe that his policies put America on its best path since at least the Reagan administration. In any case, it appears that there is no one else in the party who can lead the party as effectively — even under constant and bipartisan attack.
The post ‘Weak and ineffective’: Trump reacts to former House Speaker Ryan’s speech with scathing statement first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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