Paul Ryan urges Trump to move on from election
Paul Ryan #PaulRyan
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan said it’s time for President Trump to move on from his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden.
Ryan, who helped spearhead Trump’s signature tax cuts in 2017, urged the end to speculation over alleged widespread voter fraud and said a peaceful transfer of power will be the healthiest move for the country.
“These legal challenges to the outcome and the attacks on our voting system really need to stop, in my opinion,” Ryan said Tuesday at Bank of America’s virtual European Credit Conference, Politico reported. “The outcome will not be changed, and it will only serve to undermine our faith in our system of government, our faith in our democracy.”
The Wisconsin Republican’s comments come a day after Trump directed the General Services Administration to begin the transition process. The president, however, has not conceded to Biden and remains caught up in litigation in several key battleground states. Biden was declared the winner by several media outlets more than two weeks ago.
Ryan added that a peaceful transfer of power is needed to uphold the country’s democratic institutions.
“The election is over. The outcome is certain,” Ryan said. “I think it’s really important that we respect that, we respect the will of the people, and if we don’t, we end up doing damage to our country, to our democratic institutions and norms and to the cause of freedom.”
Ryan, who ran alongside Sen. Mitt Romney as the GOP vice presidential candidate in 2012, said he understands the disappointment of losing a national election, adding that Trump voters should not buy into what the president’s legal team is saying about voter fraud.
“I know there are a lot of people in this country who are really disappointed,” Ryan said. “But I think it’s really important that we’re clear about this, which is the mere fact that the president’s lawyers throw these sort of baseless conspiracy theories out at press conferences but offer no evidence of these in court tells you that there is not the kind of widespread voter fraud or systemic voter fraud that would be required to overturn the outcome of this election.”
Ryan and Trump’s relationship soured after he decided to retire from political office in 2018 at the age of 48.
Ryan disparaged Trump to Politico editor Tim Alberta for his book American Carnage, accusing the president of not knowing how to govern.
“I’m telling you, he didn’t know anything about government … I wanted to scold him all the time,” Ryan said.
Trump later blasted Ryan in several tweets that confirmed the frostiness of their once good relationship.
“When Mitt chose Paul, I told people that’s the end of that presidential run,” Trump tweeted. “He quit Congress because he didn’t know how to win. They gave me standing O’s in the Great State of Wisconsin, & booed him off the stage.”
Tags: News, Donald Trump, Donald Trump twitter, Paul Ryan, Wisconsin, 2020 Elections, Campaign 2020, House Republicans, Speaker of the House, Joe Biden
Original Author: Mica Soellner
Original Location: Paul Ryan urges Trump to move on from election