Former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R) is coming under fire from former President Donald Trump.
Following Ryanâs apparent criticism of the former president, Trump responded on Friday morning with a swipe at the former House speaker.
âPaul Ryan has been a curse to the Republican Party,â Trump wrote in a statement. âHe 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.â
The former president added, âAs a Republican, having Paul Ryan on your side almost guarantees a loss, for both you, the Party, and America itself!â
Ryanâs speech sought to âobliquely Donald J. Trump and Republicans that the only viable future for the fractured party was one unattached to the former president,â as The New York Times reports.
See Trumpâs full statement below:
Though he did not mention Trumpâs name in his criticism, Ryan took a swipe at Trump during a speech on Thursday evening, according to The Washington Post.
âOnce again, we conservatives find ourselves at a crossroads,â Ryan said, per his prepared remarks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. âAnd hereâs one reality we have to face: If the conservative cause depends on the populist appeal of one personality, or on second-rate imitations, then weâre not going anywhere.â
Touching on the 2020 presidential election, Ryan also said, âEven worse, it was horrifying to see a presidency come to such a dishonorable and disgraceful end.â
Additionally, the former House speaker said Republican voters would ânot be impressed by the sight of yes-men and flatterers flocking to Mar-a-Lago.â
He only mentioned Trump by name when saying âthe populism of President Trump in action, tethered to conservative principlesâ led to âpowerful and inclusive economic growth in 2020.â
Ryan â who is on the board of Fox Corp. â previously spoke out against Republican lawmakersâ efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election. He said in early January, âEfforts to reject the votes of the Electoral College and sow doubt about Joe Bidenâs victory strike at the foundation of our republic. It is difficult to conceive of a more anti-democratic and anti-conservative act than a federal intervention to overturn the results of the state-certified elections and disenfranchise millions of Americans.â
âThe fact that this effort will fail does not mean it will not do significant damage to American democracy,â he continued.
