House Speaker: I Will Not Defend Donald Trump Now or in the Future

The Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, stated on Monday, October 9, that he will not defend Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the presidential election, now or in the future, and will focus on maintaining his party's majority in the House of Representatives over the next 30 days. According to the Associated Press, Ryan made these remarks during an emergency conference call with Republican representatives. Many of these representatives are concerned that the Republican candidate is harming their chances for reelection and that the Republican majority in the House could be lost. One representative who participated in the call said that Ryan has not withdrawn his support for Trump but emphasized that he will not defend him and instead will focus his campaign efforts on Republican candidates for Congress. Another representative added that Ryan told lawmakers he will not accompany Trump in the election campaign and advised Republican candidates to 'do whatever you can in your electoral districts.' According to Reuters, the Speaker of the House said his campaign efforts will be directed at ensuring that if Hillary Clinton becomes the next President of the United States, she does not receive a 'blank check' due to Democratic dominance in Congress. Republicans currently hold the majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Hours after these comments were published, Donald Trump reacted on his Twitter account, stating that Paul Ryan 'should spend his time on balancing the budget, jobs, and illegal immigration, and not waste it fighting with the Republican nominee.' Paul Ryan's remarks are another blow to Donald Trump's campaign, which has faced intense media scrutiny and criticism from Republican figures since the release of a video containing his lewd comments about women from 2005. The Washington Post first published this video, which prompted several prominent Republican figures, including John McCain and Condoleezza Rice, to call for him to withdraw from the presidential race. Trump has rejected this request. According to Reuters, half of the 332 Republican senators, representatives, and governors condemned Trump's comments about women, and one in ten has asked him to withdraw from the race.