Speaker Paul Ryan: Trump’s Speech Was ‘A Home Run’

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said President Donald Trump delivered a bold and optimistic message to the American people when he addressed his first joint session of Congress Tuesday night.

“That was a home run,” said the speaker, who sat behind the president during the speech, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence. Both men received commemorative copies of the speech, presented by Trump to them as he took the podium.

Ryan said with Republicans in control of the House, Senate, and the White House, it was time to get to work.

“We now have a government unified around a simple, but important principle: Empowering the people—not Washington—is the way to build a better future for our country,” he said.

“This is a president who is serious about tackling our biggest challenges and improving people’s lives,” he said.

Earlier in the day, media outlets were reporting that the president was going to endorse Ryan’s plan to replace the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, in his speech. Ryan’s plan—which he presents as the one Republican proposal—is vehemently opposed by Capitol Hill conservatives. Conservatives reject Ryan’s use of the tax code to create new taxes and credits–credits that would even go to non-taxpaying Americans.

Ryan said Trump was putting the country on the right path for a better future.

“From repealing and replacing Obamacare to revamping our outdated tax code and keeping our country safe from the threat of radical Islam, we are committed to working with the Trump administration to deliver results,” he said.

“In fact, we have already delivered results on multiple fronts—including repealing harmful regulations that have hamstrung our economy,” he said. “There is a lot more work to do, and we are ready to keep working for the American people.”