Former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Tuesday that “weird stuff from Donald Trump” is one of the sure things he can expect in his life.
Ryan said last month that he would not be supporting former President Trump, who later ripped the former lawmaker as a “loser” and called for him to be removed from the board of Fox Corp. Ryan brushed off the attacks Tuesday on Fox News, reiterating that the former president is “not a conservative.”
“I got death, taxes and weird stuff from Donald Trump. These are the three certainties in my life. So to me it’s just another day in a life,” Ryan said on Fox’s “Your World with Neil Cavuto.”
He was asked to respond to the Truth Social post by Trump last month that labeled him as a RINO, or “Republican in Name Only.” Ryan pushed back on the post, saying that “RINO” now refers to someone who does not pledge loyalty to Trump.
“Fealty to Trump is what RINO is, meaning that if you don’t pledge fealty to this man, then you are a RINO. It used to mean a liberal Republican versus a conservative,” Ryan said.
“I’m a conservative Republican. He’s a populist. He’s not a conservative. I want to see someone who’s — who has fidelity to principles. I would prefer a party that is based on principles, not personality or populism,” he added.
He also said that he wished there was “a different choice than the ones we are presented with.” He added that he does not support President Biden either, saying that he will likely write in a Republican for his vote in November.
The Hill has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment.