Paul Ryan Isn’t Taking Trump’s Latest Twitter Broadside Personally

UNITED STATES - APRIL 26: Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., conducts a news conference after a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the Capitol on April 26, 2017. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
UNITED STATES - APRIL 26: Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., conducts a news conference after a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the Capitol on April 26, 2017. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Thursday downplayed President Donald Trump’s Thursday morning tweets attacking congressional leaders on pending legislation to raise the debt limit.

“I don’t really take it as going after me,” Ryan said on CNBC when asked about Trump’s tweets.

The President on Thursday morning criticized Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for not tying legislation to raise the debt limit to a Veterans Affairs bill, claiming that Congress is now in a “mess.” He also went after McConnell in a separate tweet, undermining the White House’s attempts to quell reports of a Trump-McConnell feud.

Ryan told CNBC that while leaders considered tying the VA bill to the debt limit, the timing didn’t work out. He added that he’s not concerned about Congress’ ability to pass a bill raising the debt ceiling.

“I’m really not that worried about this. We have plenty of options ahead of us,” he said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) also seemed unconcerned about Trump’s attacks on GOP leaders, arguing that it’s typical for presidents to use their “bully pulpit” to pressure Congress.

 

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  1. On CNBC just now, Ryan1 was a real next-level game-changer.
    “We’ve got lots of pots on the stove, but we can stick the landing on (tax reform)…”
    Here’s what you do Paul:
    Carefully avoid the pots
    Take the landing,
    And Stick it.
    Don’t stop there.

    1-He’s the smart one.

  2. Avatar for erik_t erik_t says:

    In other words, “I don’t think about that guy at all.”

    Some party leader Trump’s turned out to be. Can’t even hold the attention of his own troops in the legislative branch. Weak! Bad (or sick)!

  3. Avatar for tena tena says:

    O sure, Eddie you’re going to get tax reform done.

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

  4. “I don’t really take it as going after me,” Ryan said on CNBC when asked about Trump’s tweets.

    Battered Republican Syndrome™.

    “He’s a good President, officer! He didn’t mean no harm! I got these black eyes when I fell asleep in the driveway, and he done backed over muh head with his pick-up truck! He’s sleepin’ it off now, under the trailer, with his best dog, Skeeter.”

  5. This is a candidate who is hoping to change the subject by attacking his opponent with attacks that have already been labeled by independent fact checkers as deceitful and untrue.

    He’s distorting the truth, he’s dividing the country, and he’s becoming more bitter and partisan by the day. Frankly, it’s kind of sad to see.

    He’s deluded himself into thinking that his so-called enemies are these crazy individualists who believe in some dog-eat-dog society when what he’s really doing is basically attacking people like entrepreneurs and stacking up a list of scapegoats to blame for his failures.

    To my great disappointment, it appears that the politics of division are making a big comeback. Many Americans share my disappointment – especially those who were filled with great hope a few years ago

    What we heard today was not fiscal leadership from our commander-in-chief, what we heard today was a political broadside from our campaigner-in-chief

    We’ve gotten kind of used to this sort of verbal tantrums from the president. To me it’s a little more petulance than presidential

    It’s a terrible record and he is not changing his tune. This was no Bill Clinton presidency, this was not one of those issues when the Republicans took the House in 2010 and he decided to moderate, to move to the middle. No, not this president. He doubled down

    It looks like the president wants to move down the class warfare path. Class warfare will simply divide this country more. It will attack job creators, divide people and it doesn’t grow the economy

    –Paul Ryan on President Obama.

    He does indeed have the capacity to criticize the president. For some reason he is choosing not to do so now.

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