Ryan’s statement is as much a reflection of his deeply held conservative convictions as it is his unique political predicament. The Speaker, always wary of offending his party’s base and maintaining his fragile coalition of House Republicans, wanted to appear open to supporting Trump—eager to support him, in fact—as soon as the businessman can unify the party and show a commitment to the conservative ideas that, in the minds of Ryan and the party’s intellectual class, have long held the GOP together.
But if that’s the requirement, Ryan will likely never support Trump—because Trump appears uninterested in uniting what are now two separate parties and indifferent to the policy ideas Ryan holds dear.
Ryan will be able to maintain his distance over the next six months and provide some cover for vulnerable House members for whom Trump could be a liability.
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