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Former Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said former Republican President Donald Trump should not run in 2024 because he is "more likely to lose the White House than anyone else."
Ryan made the remark during a YouTube-posted interview with Teneo, a CEO advisory firm on whose board he serves as vice-chair.
He suggested that Republicans would not be likely to select Trump as the GOP nominee because he is so polarizing, which would ultimately turn Republicans against him despite his attempts to intimidate them.
Ryan's observations are his most striking criticism of the former President yet, coming as Trump continues to face significant legal troubles in regard to the ongoing investigation into his theft of classified documents and for his participation in the January 6 insurrection.
You can hear what Ryan said in the video below.
\u201cVIDEO: Former Speaker Paul Ryan says former President Donald Trump won\u2019t be the Republican nominee in 2024, when the RNC gathers in Milwaukee: \u201cWe all know he\u2019s much more likely to lose the White House than anybody else running for president on our side of the aisle.\u201d\u201d— Jason Calvi (@Jason Calvi) 1665769580
When asked about Trump's chances in 2024, Ryan said:
“I think Trump’s unelectability will be palpable by then. We all know that he will lose."
"We all know that he is so much more likely to lose the White House than anybody else running for president on our side of the aisle, so why would we want to go with that?”
“The only reason he stays where he is is because everybody’s afraid of him. They’re afraid of him going after them, hurting their own ambition."
"But as soon as you sort of get the herd mentality going, it’s unstoppable.”
“Whether he runs or not, I don’t really know if it matters. He’s not going to be the nominee, I don’t think.”
Trump has still not explicitly confirmed whether or not he will run in 2024 though he has regularly hinted he would announce a presidential run after next month's midterm elections, which will determine if Democrats manage to retain control of both chambers of the legislature.
Trump's advisers have previously instructed him to wait before he makes an official announcement confirming his candidacy.
According to a Washington Post report, which cited individuals familiar with the discussions, advisers who had told the impatient Trump he has to wait before making an announcement were nervous that an early announcement would mobilize Democrats and increase voter turnout.
But the suggestion that he might potentially not be the GOP nominee is a telling one, particularly as federal authorities ramp up their investigations into his alleged criminality.
In fact, over the summer, Fox News personality Laura Ingraham surprised listeners when she said that the country might be ready to "turn the page" on Trump, a sign that ongoing investigations could be exhausting—and perhaps even repelling—Republicans who would otherwise vote for him.
Ryan's observations have received a mixed response.
\u201cYou'd think everything that's transpired since Ryan's gross miscalculation of Trump in 2017 would dissuade him of this insane fantasy.\u201d— Jeff Timmer (@Jeff Timmer) 1665786088
\u201cHe knows MAGA and establishment R\u2019s are scared of Trump. \nHe knows they will ride his coattails until he goes under. \nSame with America\u2019s super wealthy. \nWhy they don\u2019t sack him and throw him under the bus so that their entire party can finally move on is \n\ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83e\udd21\u201d— Tim Badwound (@Tim Badwound) 1665784121
\u201cHah! Here\u2019s Paul Ryan effectively calling Trump a loser, thus guaranteeing Trump will run in 2024 as an independent spoiler just to be a jerk.\u201d— Rex Huppke (@Rex Huppke) 1665778139
\u201cThis is rich coming from the guy who enabled him; and yes, was and probably still is, afraid of him.\u201d— Buckeye Kelly (@Buckeye Kelly) 1665782470
\u201cI don't like Paul Ryan but he's right in this instance.\u201d— Rufus (@Rufus) 1665779942
\u201c"everybody's afraid of'em"\ud83d\ude02he said that with confidence, with some experience in his voice\u201d— Brandon Weathersby (@Brandon Weathersby) 1665780317
\u201cSaid the biggest loser/quitter/capitulator GOP lapdog of all time, @SpeakerRyan\u201d— Nick Searcy, INSURRECTIONAL FILM & TV STAR (@Nick Searcy, INSURRECTIONAL FILM & TV STAR) 1665781337
\u201cPaul Ryan won\u2019t decide who the 2024 GOP nominee will be. Neither will Mitch McConnell. Neither will Mitt Romney. Neither will Kevin McCarthy. Neither will Republican fat-cat donors. Neither will NeverTrumpers like me. GOP base voters, ONLY they, will decide who the nominee is.\u201d— Joe Walsh (@Joe Walsh) 1665781404
\u201cAnyone who fears TFG is a coward. Period.\u201d— Patrioticashell_Meidas (@Patrioticashell_Meidas) 1665783928
Ryan bears at least some responsibility for Trump's ascendancy.
While Ryan was often critical of Trump, he regularly partnered with him on Republican legislative priorities—particularly a much derided overhaul of the tax code that drastically cut taxes for the wealthy—and publicly endorsed him in both 2016 and 2020.
Ryan's relationship with Trump caused him to fall out of favor among Democrats and Republicans alike and the once promising GOP star, who was named as the party's vice presidential nominee in 2012, quit Congress in 2019. Since then, he has maintained a relatively low profile and currently sits on the board of the Fox Corporation, receiving an annual salary of roughly $350,000.
Over the summer, Ryan criticized Trump for inciting the January 6 insurrection, saying that watching the attack unfold in the building "I spent my whole adult life in" had "really disturbed me, foundationally.”