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Paul Ryan Won’t Defend Donald Trump, Upsetting G.O.P. Hard-Liners House Speaker Won’t Defend Donald Trump, Upsetting G.O.P. Hard-Liners
(35 minutes later)
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan dealt a hammer blow to Donald J. Trump’s presidential candidacy Monday, telling Republican lawmakers that he would no longer defend Mr. Trump and would focus instead on defending the party’s majority in Congress. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan dealt a hammer blow to Donald J. Trump’s presidential candidacy Monday, dashing any remaining semblance of party unity and inviting fierce backlash from his own caucus by announcing that he would no longer defend Mr. Trump’s candidacy.
But in an illustration of Mr. Trump’s powerful grip on much of the party, Mr. Ryan faced angry blowback from conservative lawmakers supportive of Mr. Trump. Mr. Ryan’s stance drew an immediate rebuke from Mr. Trump, who tweeted that Mr. Ryan should focus on governing instead of feuding with him.
After Mr. Ryan announced his decision in a conference call Monday morning, a stream of hard-liners came on the line to urge their colleagues not to give up on Mr. Trump, and complained that Mr. Ryan was effectively conceding the presidency. But Mr. Ryan informed Republican lawmakers on a morning conference call that he would never again campaign alongside Mr. Trump, and would dedicate himself instead to defending the party’s majority in Congress, according to five lawmakers who participated in the call and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Mr. Ryan initially urged his members to focus on their own re-election campaigns and to make individual decisions about how to handle Mr. Trump, according to two people who were on the call, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Effectively conceding defeat for his party in the presidential race, Mr. Ryan said his most urgent task was ensuring that Hillary Clinton did not enter the White House with Democratic control of the House and Senate, two lawmakers said.
But after an uproar from his own caucus, Mr. Ryan came back on the line, about 45 minutes into the call, to reassure them. The reaction from hard-liners was swift and angry: Over the course of an hour, a stream of conservative lawmakers spoke up to urge their colleagues not to give up on Mr. Trump, and chided Mr. Ryan for surrendering prematurely in the presidential race.
Mr. Ryan said he would dedicate himself full time to keeping control of the House and said flatly that he “won’t defend” Mr. Trump, people on the call said. And while he did not say he was withdrawing his endorsement of Mr. Trump, some of the House members took it that way and angrily attacked him for effectively giving up on the party’s candidate. One member, Representative Dana Rohrabacher of California, attacked Republicans stepping away from Mr. Trump as “cowards,” three lawmakers said. Another, Representative Trent Franks of Arizona, used graphic language to describe abortion and said allowing Mrs. Clinton into the White House would end with fetuses being destroyed “limb from limb.”
Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a veteran California conservative, was particularly heated, according to House Republicans on the call. Representative Trent Franks of Arizona, using graphic language to describe abortion, made an ardent case for staying with Mr. Trump because his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, would support a policy of destroying fetuses “limb from limb.” In an effort to quiet the uproar, Mr. Ryan chimed back in after about 45 minutes to assure members that he was not withdrawing his endorsement of Mr. Trump, but rather doing what he considered to be in the best interests of the House.
Mr. Trump appeared indifferent to the distinction, lashing back at Mr. Ryan with a belittling message on Twitter.
“Paul Ryan should spend more time on balancing the budget, jobs and illegal immigration and not waste his time on fighting Republican nominee,” Mr. Trump tweeted.
AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Mr. Ryan, confirmed that his sole priority for the remainder of the election would be defending congressional Republicans.AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Mr. Ryan, confirmed that his sole priority for the remainder of the election would be defending congressional Republicans.
“The speaker is going to spend the next month focused entirely on protecting our congressional majorities,” Ms. Strong said.“The speaker is going to spend the next month focused entirely on protecting our congressional majorities,” Ms. Strong said.
Ms. Strong said there was “no update” regarding Mr. Ryan’s endorsement of Mr. Trump.Ms. Strong said there was “no update” regarding Mr. Ryan’s endorsement of Mr. Trump.
Few anti-Trump voices spoke up on the call. Representative Martha Roby of Alabama, a defector from Mr. Trump on Saturday, said she would contribute significant funds to help Republicans hold the House majority. But she said she would speak with colleagues in private about her decision to withdraw her endorsement in the presidential race. The open breach between Mr. Ryan and Mr. Trump concluded five months in which the two men have alternated between friction and courtship, eventually forging an uneasy working relationship – only to see it collapse in the final weeks of the race.
Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, a vocal critic of Mr. Trump, asked his colleagues if they were truly confident that there would be no more damaging disclosures about Mr. Trump. In any case, Mr. Dent argued that the presidential race was now effectively over for Mr. Trump. The consequences for both men are enormous: Mr. Ryan and other Republican leaders fear that Mr. Trump’s flagging campaign could unwind their majorities in the House and Senate, while Mr. Trump can ill afford rejection from more prominent Republicans.
The announcement from Mr. Ryan comes as a bitter disappointment to Mr. Trump’s campaign, which had hoped his debate performance would halt an exodus of fellow Republicans. Mr. Trump’s candidacy was already in a dire condition before Mr. Ryan’s announcement: A poll published Monday by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal found him trailing Mrs. Clinton by a wide margin and drawing less than 40 percent of the vote. The survey was taken before Sunday night’s debate.
Mr. Trump’s candidacy was already in a dire condition before Mr. Ryan’s gesture of rejection: A poll published Monday by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal found him trailing Mrs. Clinton by a wide margin and drawing less than 40 percent of the vote. The survey was taken before Sunday night’s debate. Mr. Trump’s campaign had hoped that the debate would halt an exodus of fellow Republicans from his candidacy, and publicly implored members of the party on Monday morning to hang with him through Election Day.
Early on Monday, Mr. Trump’s advisers implored members of the party to hang with their nominee, and sought to project an aura of confidence after Mr. Trump’s aggressive clash with Mrs. Clinton on Sunday night. In an effort at reassurance, Mike Pence, Mr. Trump’s running mate, toured the morning television shows to tamp down speculation that he might leave the ticket. At a campaign stop in North Carolina, Mr. Pence said he was “proud to stand with Donald Trump.”
Kellyanne Conway, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, said on “CBS This Morning” that she hoped Mr. Ryan “keeps his word” and maintained support for Mr. Trump. But in a potentially ominous sign for the party, Kellyanne Conway, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, also offered a note of warning for Republicans fleeing Mr. Trump. Mr. Ryan, she noted on television, had been booed by Trump fans over the weekend in Wisconsin after asking Mr. Trump not to attend a political event in his home state.
But in a potentially ominous sign for the party, Ms. Conway also offered a note of warning for Republicans fleeing Mr. Trump: Mr. Ryan, she noted, had been booed by Trump fans over the weekend in Wisconsin after asking Mr. Trump not to attend a political event in his home state.
Ms. Conway also repeatedly indicated that she was aware of Republican lawmakers who had behaved inappropriately toward young women, and whose criticism of Mr. Trump was therefore hypocritical.Ms. Conway also repeatedly indicated that she was aware of Republican lawmakers who had behaved inappropriately toward young women, and whose criticism of Mr. Trump was therefore hypocritical.
In an effort at reassurance, Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, Mr. Trump’s running mate, denied in several television interviews that he was thinking of leaving the Republican ticket. Mr. Pence said he was fully committed to the race and would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Mr. Trump for the duration. Mr. Ryan’s huddle with House Republicans was the first of multiple war councils in Washington on Monday, as Republicans weighed how to handle a nominee whose campaign has appeared to unravel in recent days.
“Donald Trump stepped up and won the debate last night,” Mr. Pence said on Fox News. “He showed humility and he showed strength and he expressed genuine contrition.” The Republican National Committee, which has been fiercely loyal to Mr. Trump, was to hold a conference call with its members later in the afternoon. In contrast to the mounting defections from Mr. Trump’s campaign among Republican elected officials, the party chairman, Reince Priebus, has remained close to Mr. Trump and flew with him to the debate in St. Louis over the weekend.
Some Republicans had hoped that Mr. Pence would abandon Mr. Trump, crippling Mr. Trump’s candidacy and allowing the party to designate someone else as its standard-bearer. Several prominent Republican officials, including Senators Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Rob Portman of Ohio, said over the weekend that they planned to cast protest votes for Mr. Pence instead of Mr. Trump for president. As telling as the fury from outspoken conservatives in the House was the silence from so many mainstream Republicans in the chamber, who showed little appetite to argue for – or with – their embattled nominee.
Mr. Ryan’s huddle with House Republicans was the first of multiple war councils in Washington on Monday, as Republicans weighed how to handle a nominee whose campaign has appeared to unravel in recent days. The Republican National Committee, which has been fiercely loyal to Mr. Trump, was to hold a conference call with its members later in the afternoon. Few anti-Trump voices spoke up on the call with Mr. Ryan. Representative Martha Roby of Alabama, a defector from Mr. Trump on Saturday, said she would contribute significant funds to help Republicans hold the House majority. But she said she would speak with colleagues in private about her decision to withdraw her endorsement in the presidential race.
Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, a vocal critic of Mr. Trump, asked his colleagues if they were truly confident that there would be no more damaging disclosures about Mr. Trump. In any case, Mr. Dent argued that the presidential race was now effectively over for Mr. Trump.
No new prominent Republicans have withdrawn their endorsements from Mr. Trump since the end of the debate, but there was a palpable fear throughout the party that Mr. Trump had already been damaged beyond repair.No new prominent Republicans have withdrawn their endorsements from Mr. Trump since the end of the debate, but there was a palpable fear throughout the party that Mr. Trump had already been damaged beyond repair.
And despite his campaign’s insistent declarations of victory, Mr. Trump appeared to inflict new harm on his candidacy on Sunday night, handing new political ammunition to Mrs. Clinton, and Democrats aiming to make Republicans pay a price for supporting his campaign. He made a series of incendiary and damaging statements in the debate, in one instance declaring that Mrs. Clinton would be in jail if he were president, and another confirming that he had avoided paying federal income tax for years. Representative Greg Walden of Oregon, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, urged members on the conference call to take new polls in their districts to gauge the impact of Mr. Trump’s political slide.
Robby Mook, Mrs. Clinton’s campaign manager, seized on Mr. Trump’s remark about jailing a political rival, and called on Mr. Trump to apologize. Mr. Walden said they should brace for a steep erosion of support for Mr. Trump and acknowledged the falloff could undermine congressional candidates, too. He asked the entire caucus to contribute quickly to the party’s campaign arm, making it clear they needed to bolster their defenses across the country.
“It’s chilling that Donald Trump thinks that the presidency is like some banana republic dictatorship where you can lock up your political opponents,” Mr. Mook said. Still, many members were pointed in their expressions of dismay, warning Mr. Ryan of grave consequences, in November and beyond, if Mr. Trump’s campaign collapses altogether. Representative Billy Long of Missouri spoke up in Mr. Trump’s defense, citing the danger of losing the Supreme Court in the event of a Clinton victory.
Mr. Mook also criticized Mr. Trump for what he described as a “stunt event” on Sunday evening, in which Mr. Trump brought together three women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual misdeeds in the past for an impromptu statement to the media in St. Louis. “Many of us commented that if Hillary picks the next two to four judges, it will change the fabric of our country of 40, 50 years,” Mr. Long said of the call. “Abortion and the Second Amendment, also, and lots of Supreme Court concerns.”
It appears likely that Mr. Trump and his allies will continue to make an issue of Mr. Clinton’s past conduct for the duration of the race. After having mused for months about raising Mr. Clinton’s indiscretions, Mr. Trump made them an issue on Sunday night.
But Mr. Trump’s top surrogates continued to attack Mr. Clinton on Monday morning. Ms. Conway, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, suggested that television news shows book Mr. Clinton’s accusers for interviews.
Even Mr. Pence, who has made a practice of avoiding personal attacks for much of his political career, jabbed at Mr. Clinton on CNN for his liaison with Monica Lewinsky, whom Mr. Pence repeatedly reminded viewers was “a 23-year-old intern in the White House.”