There was one moment that approached something akin to amusing when, after Ryan finished explaining why Donald Trump’s “textbook racism” is totally not a deal-breaker for him, a Donald Trump supporter named Peggy Padavano drew out the most uncomfortable laugh since Gallagher stopped headlining funerals. “We don’t have people who run for office who 100% reflect all of our views”.
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And yet Rebuck acknowledged he wants Trump to name a running mate who can attract voters skeptical about a Trump candidacy. “It’s just that simple”, Ryan said, before quickly adding, “Look, no two people agree on everything”.
His go-to example to make that case: Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Many of his own doubts, and those from other conservatives, might be alleviated if Trump chooses a staunch conservative to run with, Ryan said. “So I think the unbind stuff has died off considerably over the last 10 days or so”.
“I think it is out of place in an appointed branch of government”. “If I was Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, I would’ve had less of an impact but probably the same effect”. “It doesn’t work like that”.
Trump, who is expected to become the official Republican nominee at the party’s convention next week, has since lost ground in the poll as he struggled to refocus his campaign from the Republican nominating contests to the November 8 general election.
Ryan, for instance, repudiated Trump’s attacks on an American-born judge of Mexican ancestry who is presiding over a civil suit against the billionaire. Police initially misidentified him as a suspect and his picture was posted on Twitter.
Ryan also said he had no opinion and would not intervene on the rules set up by the Republican Convention. He also pledged that “we have got to clean up the VA” so that it could treat issues unique to veterans, including PTSD.
Ryan’s comments on Trump’s vice-presidential selection demonstrated the likely strong resistance Republicans would feel toward retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, who is a longtime registered Democrat with conflicting public positions on abortion rights. New Jersey Republican Steve Lonegan – a leader in the effort to “unbind” Republican delegates from their states’ primary results, asked Ryan if he will support an “open convention” in which delegates can “vote their conscience” in hopes of nominating another candidate.
Ryan said he wants to see Trump pick “someone that is familiar with and has a proven record of being a conservative reformer, who understands conservative founding principles and has a record of applying those principles”.
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“It is not my job as chair of the convention to tell the delegates how to run their convention”, Ryan said.
