Paul Ryan Isn’t Betting On The Republicans Winning The Election

Paul Ryan, who is the Republican Speaker of the House, isn’t betting on his party making it to the White House this election. When asked about Donald Trump’s chances of winning the election, Paul Ryan’s response was largely vague. The Speaker didn’t immediately discount the fact that Donald Trump could win the presidency, but he said that he wouldn’t risk his money on it happening, saying, “I’m not a betting man.”

According to TIME, while it doesn’t look like Paul Ryan, believes Donald Trump has a real shot at the White House, he still followed the party line, saying that if the party managed to unify behind Trump in time for the election, it could still happen. His earlier comments that he wouldn’t bet on his party taking back the White House this year were supported by Paul Ryan’s view that the GOP has a long way to go in terms of making itself electable in time for the election. He spoke about how Donald Trump and the Republicans needed to lay out a clear agenda of ideas before the country that is inspiring and compelling.

Podcast: Trump could win, but I’m not ‘betting’ on it @SpeakerRyan says https://t.co/8zt5Dhn7K0 pic.twitter.com/7Yqe2oMtst

— POLITICO (@politico) May 23, 2016

Since Donald Trump was declared as the Republican party’s presumptive nominee, Paul Ryan has been a face that many voters within the party have turned to for an opinion. However, he has remained consistently quiet on the candidate, saying that he’s not ready to back Trump yet. According to New York Daily News, that’s a line Paul Ryan is running with, continuing to refuse to say whether or not his party’s presumptive nominee is a true conservative.

Paul Ryan went on to say, “You should ask him those questions. I’m not the person to be giving you the breakdown of Donald Trump. That’s not my job and responsibility.” It appears that Paul Ryan is getting a little tired of talking about Donald Trump, and that’s no surprise considering Trump’s recent comments that he wouldn’t rule out removing Paul Ryan from his chairman role at the Republican National Convention when the party meets this summer. Paul Ryan is widely believed to have held a tight grip over the Republican party during his tenure as Speaker. However, that’s a grip that Donald Trump has looked to loosen from the beginning, prompting something of a war of words between the pair.

Rep. Blackburn: "I think you're going to see Paul Ryan move very quickly toward working with Donald Trump" https://t.co/7TiffeHF9K

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 15, 2016

Whether they like it or not, Paul Ryan and Donald Trump are going to have to work closely together if Trump is confirmed as the Republican nominee this July. Paul Ryan is a high profile name within the Republican party, and his voice is one that you’d expect to be fairly active during a presidential campaign.

That being said, Paul Ryan’s refusal to promptly endorse Trump’s presidential run could further fuel claims that he’s looking to challenge Trump for the candidacy at this year’s Republican National Convention, backed by the party’s establishment. If that were the case, it wouldn’t be the first time Paul Ryan has found himself thrust into a presidential campaign, having previously run alongside Mitt Romney as the Republican party’s vice presidential candidate in 2012; a race which he and Romney ultimately lost to Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

There are many voices across the political spectrum who believe that the race for the White House presumed to be between Donald Trump and Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton is already over. Furthermore, a figure such as Paul Ryan refusing to say that he sees a Republican White House in 2017 isn’t helpful to Trump’s campaign. However, given the fact that Donald Trump has always been keen to distance himself from establishment figures like Paul Ryan, Ryan’s comments could also add fuel to his campaign.

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