Reprinted with permission from Alternet
Former President Donald Trump is not pleased with former House Speaker Paul Ryan's remarks suggesting that it is time for the Republican Party to move on from the controversial Trump presidency.
On Friday, Trump released a statement targeting Ryan, whom he refers to as a "RINO" — a Republican in Name Only. The former president lambasted Ryan, although the former speaker did not criticize Trump by name.
Trump also attempted to blame Ryan, who was a candidate for vice president, for the political party's loss in 2012 as he insisted that he shouldn't be the person to offer advice about the future of the party.
In the statement, Trump said, "Paul Ryan has been a curse to the Republican Party. He 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."
Trump's fiery remarks came less than a day after Ryan's speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. During his speech, Ryan acknowledged the "crossroads" the party is facing.
"Once again, we conservatives find ourselves at a crossroads. And here's one reality we have to face: If the conservative cause depends on the populist appeal of one personality, or on second-rate imitations, then we're not going anywhere," Ryan said on Thursday, May 28.
Though the speech was interpreted as a criticism of the GOP's direction under Trump, it did not attack the former president by name. In, fact, when he did name Trump, it was to praise him: "To his credit, Donald Trump brought many new voters into our party."
Ryan was, however, critical of Trump's allies in Congress and elsewhere, saying people "will not be impressed by the sight of yes-men and flatterers flocking to Mar-a-Lago." And he did say: "It was horrifying to see a presidency come to such a dishonorable and disgraceful end."
Of course, the former House speaker also criticized President Biden.
"In 2020, the country wanted a nice guy who would move to the center and depolarize our politics," Ryan said. "Instead, we got a nice guy pursuing an agenda more leftist than any president in my lifetime."
- How Joe Biden Broke The Gish Gallop - National Memo ›
- Franz Von Papen Was Wrong, And So Is Paul Ryan - National Memo ›
- Former Speaker Ryan Raising Funds For Trump Critic Kinzinger ... ›
- Are Trump And Gingrich Preparing New 'Contract On America ... ›
- Paul Ryan urges GOP to choose Reaganism over Trump - Los ... ›
- Paul Ryan Calls for GOP to Move Beyond Donald Trump - Bloomberg ›
- Republican feud: Donald Trump goes after Paul Ryan for going after ... ›
- Paul Ryan's public support of Trump masked GOP struggle ›
- Donald Trump and Republicans: Paul Ryan says to focus on principles ›
- Paul Ryan Critiques Trump's Grip on the Republican Party - The ... ›
- In New Book, Paul Ryan Admits He Was a Fraud All Along | Vanity Fair ›
- Paul Ryan to enter GOP's civil war by criticizing Trump's hold on ... ›
- Inside Trump's Feud With Paul Ryan - POLITICO Magazine ›
- Donald Trump lashes out at Paul Ryan after critical speech ›