Media Figures Mock Paul Ryan’s “Sad” Endorsement Of Trump

Written by Brendan Karet

Published

Media figures responded to House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) announcement that he will vote for Donald Trump with derision, characterizing Ryan’s action as a “shotgun wedding,” “caving to Democrats,” and “sad.”

Paul Ryan Announces He Will Vote For Trump, “Confident He Will Help Turn The House GOP’s Agenda Into Laws”

Paul Ryan: “I’ll Be Voting For @realDonaldTrump This Fall.” In a June 2 tweet, House Speaker Paul Ryan wrote “I'll be voting for @realDonaldTrump this fall. I'm confident he will help turn the House GOP's agenda into laws”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

Media Figures Criticize Ryan’s Reluctant Statement 

National Review’s David French: Ryan Endorsed “A Man Who Bullies Women, Lies Habitually, And Incites Violence. My Heart Breaks”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

Ben Shapiro: “Following His Pattern Of Caving To Democrats, Ryan Endorses Trump”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

HotAir’s Allahpundit: “Ryan Lost Respect From Those Who Respect Him And Probably Didn’t Gain Much From Those Who Don’t”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

Fox’s Chad Pergram: “Some Describe Ryan Backing Trump As A Shotgun Wedding”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

The Atlantic’s David Frum Mocks Ryan’s Endorsement: “He Says He’ll Sign My Bills”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

Washington Post’s Matt O’Brien: “Paul Ryan Thinks Donald Trump Should Have The Nuclear Codes. Sad!”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

Political Wire’s Taegan Goddard: “Apparently It’s OK To Endorse Someone You Completely Disagree With If You Wait For A Couple Of Weeks”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

Vox’s Matthew Yglesias: “I Told You Ryan Would Fold”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

Washington Examiner’s T. Becket Adams: “As A True Mark Of Courage, Paul Ryan Announces His Vote For Trump During Clinton’s Big FP Speech”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

New York Post’s Seth Mandel: “I Was Really Hoping To Be Wrong About Paul Ryan. I Wasn’t”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

Weekly Standard’s Michael Warren: “Unification Goeth Before The Fall”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

Cook Political Report’s Dave Wasserman: “The Hostile Takeover Of The GOP Is Now Complete”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

ThinkProgress’ Judd Legum: “Paul Ryan Promised His Constituents He’d Stand Up To Islamophobia. Then He Endorsed Trump. Seriously”:

[Twitter, 6/2/16]

Wash. Post Editorial Board: Ryan Endorsement “A Sad Day For” Ryan. The Washington Post’s editorial board wrote that Ryan “capitulated to ugliness” in endorsing Trump and wrote it’s a “sad day” for Ryan, “for his party,” and “for all Americans who hoped that some Republican leaders would have the fortitude to put principle over partisanship, job security or the forlorn fantasy that Mr. Trump will advance a traditional GOP agenda.” From the June 2 editorial:

On Thursday Mr. Ryan capitulated to ugliness. It was a sad day for the speaker, for his party and for all Americans who hoped that some Republican leaders would have the fortitude to put principle over partisanship, job security or the forlorn fantasy that Mr. Trump will advance a traditional GOP agenda.

Explaining his belated endorsement of Mr. Trump in a home-state newspaper, the speaker said that conversations with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee have reassured him. Mr. Trump will help turn House GOP ideas into law, Mr. Ryan said, in a way that a President Hillary Clinton would not.

This is fanciful, as Mr. Ryan must understand. Judging by his wild swings of position over the years, Mr. Trump does not believe in much of anything. The convictions that he does hold — against free trade and U.S. leadership abroad, for dividing the nation by religion and ethnicity — are antithetical to the principles Mr. Ryan has said guide him. Having secured the nomination without Mr. Ryan’s help, a President Trump certainly would not feel bound by any assurances that Mr. Ryan believes he has heard from the candidate. [The Washington Post, 6/2/16]

MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski: Ryan “Completely Sold Out” With Trump Endorsement. MSNBC co-host Mika Brzezinski said the endorsement was “so sad” and that Ryan “completely sold out.” From the June 3 edition of MSNBC’s Morning Joe:

MIKA BRZEZINSKI (CO-HOST): Paul Ryan, think about this, the guy who I think most people think –

NICOLLE WALLACE: Our great hope, yes.

BRZEZINSKI: Is the Republicans' great hope, is an honest, good --

WALLACE: Principled.

BRZEZINSKI: Principled man of character. The Washington Post says this: “On Thursday Mr. Ryan capitulated to ugliness. It was a sad day for the speaker, for his party and for all Americans who hoped that some Republican leaders would have the fortitude to put principle over partisanship, job security or the forlorn fantasy that Mr. Trump will advance a traditional GOP agenda.” This is so sad.

WALLACE: Well, you started it yesterday.

BRZEZINSKI: If he had a good reason I want to hear it. I'm all for it. I'm all for those meaningful conversations leading to something and hearing something really good from Donald Trump about what exactly he's going to do to lead the party forward or help make America great again. Tell me what it was, Paul Ryan, because you just sold out. You just completely sold out.

WALLACE: Well, in fairness Mitch McConnell said it was the judges. I mean, he sat here Tuesday --

BRZEZINSKI: Mitch McConnell said it was the judges and I said to him, Nicolle, is there anything Donald Trump has ever said in his campaign or life that will lead you to believe that he will keep his word on the judges and he had nothing.

WALLACE: Right.

MIKE BARNICLE: Mark, what do you think?

MARK HALPERIN: He's got two alternatives and he believes Trump will nominate more conservative judges. He wants tax reform. Trump would sign tax reform that Hillary Clinton wouldn't sign. I mean, it's not his first choice or his top 100, but of the two left remaining of people he could endorse he had no choice.

BRZEZINSKI: He had no choice? What about not endorsing?

HALPERIN: He had no choice. He is the speaker of the house. He's trying to get legislation passed. One of two people will be president come January. He had no choice. I think it's amazing he delayed as long as he did and I think he delayed until probably until about almost the last possible minute, but this is the Republican nominee picked by Republican voters.

[...]

BRZEZINSKI: To your point of Ryan had no choice, which is pathetic because this election is unlike any other. The rule book has been thrown out. So that no choice thing, put it back into the '80s and '90s, and early 2000s, because there are new rules and people ought to start living by their own rules and living by their principles and Paul Ryan can do that.

[...]

Paul, he's not going to do anything for you because you did this. He's not going to pay you back. It's pathetic, he sold out. I'm sorry but he did have a choice and he made one that was weak. [MSNBC, Morning Joe, 6/3/16]