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Presented by Facebook Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said she and President Joe Biden had a “very positive” talk this morning about the GOP infrastructure proposal, but Biden also told reporters that time is running short to strike a deal. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Paul Ryan Critiques Trumpâs Grip on the Republican Party
In a speech, the former House speaker called on the Republican Party not to move forward in Donald Trumpâs image, though he did not criticize the former president by name.
Paul D. Ryan, the former House speaker, during a speech in 2018. He did not break with Donald J. Trump until after leaving office. Credit.Erin Schaff for The New York Times
May 27, 2021
WASHINGTON â Paul D. Ryan, the former Republican speaker of the House, re-entered the political arena on Thursday night with a speech obliquely criticizing Donald J. Trump and warning Republicans that the only viable future for the fractured party was one unattached to the former president.
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan grew up admiring Ronald Reagan and wielded political power under Donald Trump.
So, it was Ryan, the former Wisconsin lawmaker who represented Janesville and the 1st Congressional District for 20 years, who was selected to lead off a speaker series on the future of the Republican Party and the conservative movement.
The setting: the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
“Once again, we conservatives find ourselves at a crossroads, Ryan will say, according to excerpts of the speech he s expected to give Thursday night.
Without naming Trump, Ryan will add: 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. Voters looking for Republican leaders want to see independence and mettle.