Speaker Paul Ryan told House Republicans on a conference call Monday morning that he’s done defending Donald Trump and will focus on maintaining his party’s increasingly imperiled House majority, according to sources on the call.
The message amounted to a concession by the highest-ranking elected Republican that his nominee for president can’t win — and lawmakers should act accordingly to save themselves and preserve a Republican Congress to act as a check on Hillary Clinton.
Ryan stopped short of formally rescinding his endorsement of Trump – but just short. His move carries immense risk and Ryan faced blowback from all sides: Trump and his surrogates preemptively warned Republican leaders they would pay a price for breaking from the nominee, and immediately after the call Hillary Clinton tweeted to her nearly 10 million followers that “Ryan is still endorsing Trump.”
A Trump spokesman, Jason Miller, wrote on Twitter after Ryan’s move that “Nothing's changed. Mr. Trump’s campaign has always been powered by a grassroots movement, not Washington.
