House Speaker Paul Ryan is definitively ruling out a bid for president this year, telling the GOP, “Count me out.”
In a statement at the Republican National Committee, Ryan said if the party can’t choose a nominee on the first ballot, the eventual choice should only be a candidate who participated in the primaries.
Ryan has faced persistent speculation that he could emerge as the GOP nominee from a contested Republican convention.
The Wisconsin Republican told reporters: “I simply believe that if you want to be the nominee — to be the president — you should actually run for it.”
Critics were quick to respond, including conservative commentator Ann Coulter who tweeted a brutally hilarious reaction.
Having received as many delegates as Paul Ryan, I also will not accept the Republican nomination for president.
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 12, 2016
Earlier in the day, Ryan said in an interview on WISN radio in Milwaukee that there was no scenario under which he would seek the Republican nomination. Ryan said he called the news conference to “categorically” rule himself out as a candidate.
“I will not allow my name to be placed in nomination,” Ryan said. “And it will not be me. I don’t know how I can be clearer than that. … It should be someone who actually wants to be president or is running for president.”
He laughed when asked if he was working behind the scenes to “steal the GOP nomination away from Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.”
“No, I am not,” Ryan said. “This is just amazing. It is just amazing how these things keep going. I am going to try again today to put this to bed. The answer is no, and my strong opinion is if it goes to an open convention … the delegates should pick among the people who actually ran for president this year.”
Ryan’s comments come as a contested convention looks likelier by the day. Ryan and his aides have continually denied the speaker has presidential ambitions this year, but their statements have not put the issue to rest. That’s partly because Ryan also denied he wanted to be speaker last fall after then-Speaker John Boehner announced his resignation, but ended up with the job anyway.
Tuesday’s appearance will be an attempt to shut down the speculation once and for all. Yet it may not be enough to quiet the talk about Ryan, given the unpredictable twists of the GOP presidential primary.
Front-runner Trump looks unlikely to accumulate the necessary delegates to clinch the nomination ahead of the July Republican convention in Cleveland. That would allow his lead challenger, Cruz, to make a play for the job.
But if neither candidate can get the delegate votes necessary as balloting progresses in the convention, chaos could result and along with it the potential for some other Republican who’s not currently running to emerge. As a young and charismatic conservative, popular with donors and with some conservative activists, Ryan’s name has been at the top of that list for months.
Ryan was his party’s vice presidential nominee in 2012 and is seen as a possible candidate in 2020. Early in the campaign season he announced he would not be making a run in 2016.
Removing the presidential speculation puts Ryan’s focus squarely on his day job as the leader of the House, and he faces several key tests soon.
In a long-brewing embarrassment, it’s become plain that Ryan has all but given up hope of passing a budget for the upcoming budget year. Ryan orchestrated four budget efforts as chairman of the Budget Committee over 2011-2014 but now can’t produce as speaker. Boehner, his predecessor, presided over five successful budgets.
Under the government’s arcane budget law, the House is supposed to produce a budget by April 15. But a tea party revolt over Ryan’s embrace of last year’s bipartisan deal with President Barack Obama to increase spending by the Pentagon and domestic agencies has left him well short of the votes he needs.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
It is becoming very clear that Speaker Ryan will assume a very important role, no matter which party wins in November. Ryan’s best ability so far is his grasp of the budget numbers and process. With the right support, maybe he can steer the country in the right direction on budget issues.
Arthur, is THAT why he caved and gave Obama EVERYTHING he asked for? His keen budgetary skills my ass. Speaker Paul Ryan is a pussy AND an ambitious man. Beware ambitious men.
The political machine has not had a leader who speaks for both parties in a long time. One who is not tied to donors, lobby groups, etc. The only running who can bring all sides together for a common sense approach for our nation is TR**P. Will he succeed ,who knows. Give the man the reigns for four years.
I have sensed for some time that the whole entire lot of them in DC are beyond corrupt and need to be replaced by people who are not ambitious about anything but getting the country back under the control of the citizenry!
I love will not vote for Paul Ryan ever he be a lyin piece of garbage. He said he didn’t want to be speaker and there he is speaker I don’t believe anything that he talks about he can’t get elected dog catcher. He reminds me of learch on the Addams family. He needs to get voted out another piece of crappy establishment. I will write in Trumps name. The rest of the people running are just leaches on the gravy train paid for by all of us.
He is a real Rino that is why the establishment elected him to be the speaker!
That’s why I said with the right support. He has attempted to fight at times. But he’s like a quarterback who’s been sacked 10 times.
I could not of said it better.
Chuck,, you mean “I could not HAVE said it better’. Actually, you were correct. You couldn’t say it better.
I agree with Speaker Ryan. The presidential nominee should be someone who actually went to the trouble to run. He needs to focus on being speaker.
Considering the negativity Donald Trump seems to produce on a non-stop basis, I’m not sure how long the American people will want to put up with him. I agree with Ted Cruz politically but I still question his eligibility to serve. Gov. Kasich would probably be the best qualified but has not done well in the primaries.