When House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) was asked Thursday about what he thought of the GOP’s presidential nominee revoking the Washington Post’s campaign credentials, he had an idea.
“Don’t think I have ever heard of it before. I think that’s a new one,” Ryan said.
Then he called on the Washington Post directly to ask a question, an unusual move especially because Ryan’s staff had just signaled to reporters that the press conference was wrapping up.
It was just one of the subtle ways Thursday, Ryan attempted to reveal the growing distance between him and the Republican nominee Donald Trump.
In Georgia Wednesday, Trump’s message to leaders was simple.
“Be quiet. Just please be quiet. Don’t talk, please be quiet,” Trump said.
Ryan didn’t seem interested in heeding that advice from a nominee he endorsed just two weeks ago.
“You know. You can’t make this up sometimes,” Ryan said when asked to respond to the comment.
Ryan told reporters he had no plans to revoke his endorsement even as he seemed more willing than even usual to diss the nominee.
“That is not my plan. I don’t have a plan to do that. Look, We are going to agree to disagree on somethings. That is just how things work,” Ryan said. “You also know if I am asked a question, I am going to answer it honestly. And, if I am asked a question about a proposal I don’t agree with, I’m gonna say I don’t agree with it. It’s just that simple.”
When asked if he just was getting a bit tired of constantly having to answer for Trump, Ryan smiled.
“He is a different kind of candidate. This is a different kind of year,” Ryan said.
