Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) said during an interview that aired Thursday that former President Donald Trump will not be the Republican party’s presidential nominee in 2024.
Ryan, a Fox News board member, claimed that Trump, who received more votes than any incumbent president in history, has an electability problem–a perspective Fox is promoting.
“Trump’s unelectability will be palpable by then,” Ryan said during an interview with Teneo, a consulting firm where he serves as vice chairman.
“We all know that he’s so much more likely to lose the White House than anybody else running for president on our side of the aisle, so why would we want to go with that?” Ryan added.
However, Ryan’s view on Trump is inconsistent with recent polls that show him leading over President Joe Biden in a hypothetical 2020 election rematch.
Ryan claimed that Trump is only the de facto leader of the GOP because “everybody’s afraid of him.”
“The only reason he stays where he is is because everybody’s afraid of him. They’re afraid of him going after them, hurting their own ambition,” Ryan said.
Ryan also claimed that other Republican politicians would have better chances of defeating a Democrat in 2024.
“But as soon as you get the herd mentality going, it’s unstoppable. So I think the fact that he pulls so much poorer than anybody else running for president as a Republican against a Democrat is enough right there. He’s gonna know this,” Ryan said.
However, according to multiple polls, Trump is the clear frontrunner in a potential 2024 Republican primary field.
Ryan reportedly listed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) as his top three picks for 2024.
“And so whether he runs or not, I don’t really know if it matters; he’s not going to be the nominee, I don’t think,” Ryan continued.
Ryan warned the Democrats would use Trump as a weapon against Republicans.
“He’s a cudgel against us, especially in our swing districts,” Ryan said.
Ryan, who served as House Speaker during Trump’s first two years in office, has long been at odds with the former President. Ryan has consistently called on the GOP to abandon Trump since he left politics in 2018.
Ryan reportedly “found himself sobbing,” after the January 6 Capitol Riots, according to a new book from journalist Mark Leibovich.
Trump has continually hinted that he will run for a second term in 2024, but he has not officially announced his candidacy.
The Fox News article on this matter does not mention that Ryan is a Fox Corporation board member.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.
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