Former House Speaker Paul Ryan described himself as “an anti-establishment Republican” on Tuesday while defending himself from accusations of being a “RINO” on Fox News.
During an appearance on Fox News’ Your World, Ryan tore into former President Donald Trump, prompting host Neil Cavuto to shoot back, “Well, he doesn’t like you either.”
Cavuto then confronted Ryan – who, as the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee, has long been seen by Trump supporters as a face of the Republican establishment – with a post Trump made calling him a “loser” and “a pathetic RINO [Republican in Name Only].”
Ryan responded:
Look, I got death, taxes, and weird stuff from Donald Trump. These are the three certainties in my life, so to me, it’s just another day in my life. Look, fealty to Trump is what RINO is. Meaning, if you don’t pledge fealty to this man, then you are a RINO. It used to mean a liberal Republican versus a conservative. I’m a conservative Republican. He’s a populist, he’s not a conservative. I want to see someone who has fidelity to principles. I would prefer a party that is based on principles, not personality or populism. This populism is untethered to principles and that’s why, you know, I’m an anti-establishment Republican.
He concluded, “I have no personal animus towards the man. I think he got railroaded in this New York case, I don’t want to see him go to jail, I don’t have any personal animosity, I just don’t think he should be president.”
Ryan previously described himself as an “anti-establishment Republican” during an interview with the Washington Post in February.
“I’m in the minority in my party right now; I’m not in the establishment,” he argued. “I’m frankly an anti-establishment Republican, and I think you can safely argue — I don’t enjoy acknowledging this — that Trump is the establishment, and Trump populism is the establishment.”
Watch above via Fox News.
The post ‘I’m an Anti-Establishment Republican,’ Insists Paul Ryan After Being Condemned as a ‘RINO’ by Trump first appeared on Mediaite.