Wednesday morning Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, announced that he will not seek re-election to his seat in November.
While Donald Trump's response to the news was cordial:
Conservative Pro-Trump news anchor Lou Dobbs wasted no time in taking to Twitter to slam Paul Ryan, saying "he's done all the damage he can to the GOP."
Many conservatives on Twitter concurred with Dobbs, particularly Trump loyalists who feel that Ryan was insufficiently loyal to the President.
And those who feel that Ryan represented the very swamp that Trump was elected to drain:
Because from their perspective, Republican leadership is what has stood in the way between them and the full implementation of Trump's agenda.
And insufficiently conservative for their tastes:
Paul Ryan, to them, is an anchor around their re-election chances:
One MAGA fan felt perhaps there was something else going on here:
Speculation that Ryan has an eye on the White House is nothing new, of course:
https://thesocialedgen.wpengine.com/news/paul-ryan-retirement-running-president-2020/
Whispers about Ryan’s potential retirement had circulated around Washington for months, and the news now forces his fellow Republicans to jockey for position. Additionally, Ryan and his team “have operated under the assumption that if Republicans enact the first tax overhaul in 30 years, much of the frustration will wane — and party-wide euphoria at the realization of their first major legislative victory will make the year-end, bipartisan deals easier to swallow,” but The Washington Times reports that Ryan told confidantes that the tax-cut bill was his chief goal, and if Congress can finish it this year the speaker will conclude his work is done.”
“There is certainly a school of thought that says ‘leave on a high note,’” a GOP lawmaker close to Ryan told The Hill in November. “And passage of tax reform would be a high note for a guy that’s spent 18 years in Congress working on it.”
As for those running for Ryan's seat on the Democratic side, one challenger wasted no time in declaring victory:
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram