Month: August 2017

During a town hall on CNN on Monday, House Speaker Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) stated that he wishes the president would tweet less, but that the president is going to change his Twitter habits and the president has had success at going around the media. Ryan stated, “Do I wish there would be a little less tweeting? Of course I do But I think — I don’t think that it’s going to change. I think the president feels, and he rightfully feels, that he has found a way to communicate with people directly through — around the media. And I think he’s been very successful at doing that. Are there some of those tweets that I prefer not to have seen? Of course there are. But at the end of the day, what I control are my own actions.” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

During a town hall on CNN on Monday, House Speaker Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) argued that President Trump “messed up” in his statement on Charlottesville last Tuesday, but praised Trump’s comments last Monday and earlier that night. Ryan stated that Trump’s statement last Monday was “pitch-perfect.” He added that during his press conference on Tuesday, Trump “made comments that were much more morally ambiguous, much more confusing, and I do think he could have done better. I think he needed to do better. I actually think what he did two days ago in commending the peaceful protests against the hate in Boston was a good start. And I think, just what I heard…25 minutes ago, was exactly what a president needs to say, what we needed to hear. So, I do believe that he messed up in his comments on Tuesday, when it sounded like a moral equivocation, or at the very least moral ambiguity, when we need extreme moral clarity.” Ryan added that the discussion about Charlottesville shouldn’t be about the president or politics, but rather goes to American and human values, and urged everyone to stand up against bigotry. He further stated that he had “a hard time believing” that

I voted for Donald J. Trump because he promoted a foreign policy of restraint. I did not vote for National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster to hijack the Trump agenda to continue failed policies of the past. I voted for Donald Trump’s campaign against “nation-building” and am concerned that this Administration has lost its way on foreign policy.

During a town hall on CNN on Monday, House Speaker Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) expressed support for President Trump’s Afghanistan strategy. Ryan said, “I’m pleased with the decision. I’m actually pleased with the way he went about making this decision.” He continued, “I think it’s high time we have a more comprehensive strategy.” Ryan praised the shift from a timetable strategy to a strategy based on conditions. Ryan further stated, “[W]hat I heard tonight for the first time…I think I heard a new Trump strategy, or a doctrine so to speak. ‘Principled realism’ I think is how he described it.” He concluded the discussion on Afghanistan by stating that the ultimate goal is to get Afghanistan’s government to reconcile with the Taliban, but the Taliban won’t do that if they don’t think the US is “committed to seeing this through, if they think that they don’t have a chance. That is what I think was important in the decision the president just made tonight.” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett