Former Speaker Ryan asserts, “Trump is not a conservative; he’s an authoritarian narcissist.”
Former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who led the Republican House majority during the initial two years of former President Trump’s term, contends that Trump is not a conservative but rather an authoritarian narcissist, driven by a guiding principle to aggrandize himself.
Ryan supported former Republican Representatives Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) for resisting Trump and expressed that many GOP lawmakers likely regret not supporting impeachment charges, which could have provided an opportunity to remove Trump from the political stage.
“Trump isn’t a conservative; he’s an authoritarian narcissist. So, I think they essentially called him out for that,” stated Ryan during a video conference interview with Teneo Political Risk Advisory Co-President Kevin Kajiwara, referring to Cheney and Kinzinger.
Ryan described Trump as “a populist authoritarian narcissist.”
“He doesn’t think in classical liberal conservative terms. He thinks in an authoritarian way and he’s been able to get a big chunk of the Republican base to follow him because he’s the culture warrior,” Ryan explained.
Ryan noted that Cheney and Kinzinger “stepped out of the flow” that saw many Republicans aligning with Trump, and instead, they called out his approach.
He acknowledged that they “paid for it with [their] careers” but emphasized that they made the right move.
He expressed the view that there should be a line or principle that one is unwilling to cross, ensuring that when individuals look at themselves in the mirror, they like what they see. He commended Adam and Liz for adhering to this standard.
He mentioned that a considerable number of Republicans in Congress are likely feeling regretful for not resisting Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election and for abstaining from voting for impeachment or conviction charges, missing an opportunity to terminate his political career.
He expressed the belief that many members of Congress, even some of his close friends, might reconsider their votes, particularly on the second impeachment, as they initially believed Trump’s political influence was finished after the events of January 6.
“So they figured, ‘I’m not going to take this heat, I’m going to vote against this impeachment because he’s gone anyway.’ But what’s happened is he’s been resurrected,” Ryan added. “So I think there are a lot of people who already regret not getting him out of the way when they could have.”
He said that “history will be kind” to Trump critics such as Cheney and Kinzinger.
Ryan announced he would retire from Congress in April 2018, less than two years into Trump’s first term in office. He said at the time that he wanted to spend more time with his family and not be a “weekend dad.”
At the time of his announced retirement, he cited Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as a highlight of his time as Speaker.
TAGS ADAM KINZINGER ADAM KINZINGER DONALD TRUMP DONALD TRUMP LIZ CHENEY LIZ CHENEY PAUL RYAN PAUL RYAN
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