Ryan tells Republicans to do ‘what’s best for you’ in their own districts
WASHINGTON—House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) told House Republicans Monday morning that he wouldn't defend or campaign with Donald Trump in the next month, but didn't rescind his endorsement of the GOP presidential nominee.
Mr. Ryan told House Republicans they should make their own decision about whether to maintain their support for Mr. Trump after video from 2005 surfaced Friday in which the nominee said he had kissed and groped women without their consent. The speaker told lawmakers in a conference call on Monday that they should do whatever they deemed best in their own districts, according to people on the call.
Mr. Ryan himself said he would not be defending Mr. Trump and would spend his energy until Election Day making sure that if Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is elected, she won't be given a “blank check” with a Democratic-controlled Congress, according to someone on the call.
“The speaker is going to spend the next month focused entirely on protecting our congressional majorities,” said AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Mr. Ryan.
It wasn't yet clear whether Mr. Ryan’s comments would halt the weekend exodus of GOP lawmakers abandoning Mr. Trump after his lewd comments came to light. Many Republican lawmakers and aides are nervous that more damaging material about Mr. Trump could still surface. But Republicans also know their prospects of keeping control of the Senate and House are tightly interlaced with Mr. Trump’s fate and that a crushing defeat could cost them their congressional majorities.
“This isn’t rocket science—the better Donald Trump does, the better our party does,” one Republican lawmaker told Mr. Ryan on the call.
Mr. Ryan interjected, saying he wasn’t abandoning Mr. Trump but was instead focused on the House, according to a person on the call. Some Republican participants on the call defended Mr. Trump and called for unity, according to a GOP aide.
Some analysts said Monday that Mr. Trump’s attacks on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during Sunday night’s debate—certain to please his most loyal followers—were likely to slow the defections.
Mr. Trump’s sharp attacks on Mrs. Clinton on Sunday night were expected to solidify support among his base, but not expand his appeal to the college-educated and women voters who have been more skeptical of his campaign, according to analysts.
