Paul Ryan: Bannon and I are ‘different kinds of conservatives’

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) waved off questions about his relationship with Chief White House Strategist Steve Bannon, acknowledging that they are “different kinds of conservatives” while stressing their shared goal of passing President Trump’s agenda.

“He’s not someone I have a history with, obviously,” Ryan told PBS Newshour anchor Judy Woodruff in an interview aired Wednesday. “I didn’t know him when he was opposing me all those times. We’re different kinds of conservatives. That’s something I can safely say, I think.”

“But we’re serving a purpose, which is to get this agenda passed,” he added. “And on this agenda that we’ve rolled out, that we ran on, on that we agree.”

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In his previous job as chairman of the far-right Breitbart News, Bannon reportedly referred to Ryan as “the enemy,” and directly ordered the website’s staff to attack him.

But the two appeared to form a working relationship in the wake of Trump’s victory in November, collaborating on the president’s policy initiatives.

“I see a person which I have a common cause and purpose with,” Ryan said. “We’re different kinds of conservatives, we really don’t know each other, but we’re all trying to get this agenda enacted. And that’s why I don’t see a problem here.”