President Trump lashed out Paul Ryan Thursday in a series of late-night tweets, labeling the former Speaker a “lame duck failure” in response to criticisms included in an upcoming book.
Ryan told Politico’s Tim Alberta that Trump was completely unprepared to take office and often had to be convinced not to follow his instincts by more experienced politicians.
“Because, I’m telling you, he didn’t know anything about government . . . I wanted to scold him all the time,” Ryan said, according to an excerpt of the book, “American Carnage.” “Those of us around him really helped to stop him from making bad decisions. All the time. We helped him make much better decisions, which were contrary to kind of what his knee-jerk reaction was. Now I think he’s making some of these knee-jerk reactions.”
Trump responded by mocking Ryan’s record as Speaker and casting him as a pushover who was unwilling to aggressively engage in political battles when Republicans enjoyed a majority in the House.
Paul Ryan, the failed V.P. candidate & former Speaker of the House, whose record of achievement was atrocious (except during my first two years as President), ultimately became a long running lame duck failure, leaving his Party in the lurch both as a fundraiser & leader……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2019
….He had the Majority & blew it away with his poor leadership and bad timing. Never knew how to go after the Dems like they go after us. Couldn’t get him out of Congress fast enough!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2019
The comments represent a sharp departure from the effusive praise that Trump heaped on Ryan when he announced he would not seek reelection in 2018.
Speaker Paul Ryan is a truly good man, and while he will not be seeking re-election, he will leave a legacy of achievement that nobody can question. We are with you Paul!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2018
Ryan acknowledged in his interview with Alberta that his retirement was related to the volatile current political moment and Trump’s brash style.
“We’ve gotten so numbed by it all,” Ryan said. “Not in government, but where we live our lives, we have a responsibility to try and rebuild. Don’t call a woman a ‘horse face.’ Don’t cheat on your wife. Don’t cheat on anything. Be a good person. Set a good example.”