House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) is using his position as a top Republican leader to condemn Donald Trump’s call to ban Muslims from coming into the United States. But even so, he couldn’t quite bring himself to denounce the candidate outright.

“Normally, I do not comment on what’s going on in the presidential election — I will take an exception today,” Ryan said at his press conference Tuesday morning. “This is not conservatism. What was proposed yesterday is not what this party stands for — and more importantly, it’s not what this country stands for.”

But will Ryan take a truly serious stand here — and refuse to support Trump if he’s the nominee?

“I’m gonna support whoever the Republican nominee is,” Ryan said, “and I’m gonna stand up for what I believe in as I do that.”

But maybe it’s also worth asking: How much has Ryan himself contributed to the political environment that really made Trump possible? After all, Ryan has been among those leaders who has called for stopping the refugee process — a “pause,” he said — and led the House in trying to pass a new law that would slow it down.

Video viaThe Associated Press.

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