Presidential Candidate Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan met this morning at RNC headquarters in Washington D.C. Following their meeting, they issued the following joint statement:
"The United States cannot afford another four years of the Obama White House, which is what Hillary Clinton represents. That is why it’s critical that Republicans unite around our shared principles, advance a conservative agenda, and do all we can to win this fall. With that focus, we had a great conversation this morning. While we were honest about our few differences, we recognize that there are also many important areas of common ground. We will be having additional discussions, but remain confident there’s a great opportunity to unify our party and win this fall, and we are totally committed to working together to achieve that goal. We are extremely proud of the fact that many millions of new voters have entered the primary system, far more than ever before in the Republican Party's history. This was our first meeting, but it was a very positive step toward unification."
Ryan has said before that he would step down as convention chair if Trump asked, but it appears they have reached some sort of understanding. Trump's campaign has been divisive for the Republican Party, with many hoping for a different candidate to be named when the national convention comes around in July. Notably, despite speaking of unity, Ryan has yet to endorse Trump. Their joint statement and Ryan's press conference downplayed their differences and focused on "common ground," ignoring Trump's foreign policy among other core issues.
It's hard to say whether or not the Republican Party will be able to truly rally behind Trump as their candidate, but Ryan's willingness to compromise is a good sign for Trump. What are your thoughts on the positive tone of this joint statement? Will Ryan and other Republican leaders truly be able to work with a President Trump? Can Trump reach a compromise with party leadership? Will the party rally behind him in July, or search for another candidate?
11 comments:
I think that the vast majority of the Republican party will not necessarily rally behind Trump come November, but that, at the very least, there will be some support for him from important members of the party establishment, and he will not be as openly denounced by the party leadership/establishment. After all, as Ryan said, they don't want another liberal White House, and apparently that political preference takes precedence over the controversial things that Trump has said as well as his lack of policy experience, though I don't think any of the endorsements and reductions of conflict with him now would be possible if he hadn't began to try and moderate/"act more presidential" (on a side note, Seth Meyers made an interesting point about Trump setting the bar so low that him not insulting his opponents (calling them Lyin' Ted, for example) is considered presidential). I've also heard it mentioned before that Trump could actually be a puppet for the establishment party if placed in office because of his lack of experience, although I personally have doubts about that theory simply because Trump wants to present a very specific image to the public, including that of a political outsider in the same strain that Jimmy Carter ran in after the disaster with Nixon and Watergate.
Also, every time you say President Trump, a small part of me cries out in pain. Apologies for even more blatant liberal bias. But still.
It's entirely possible that Ryan and other GOP leaders are only half-heartedly not screaming denouncements of Trump because he is their party candidate, and if they really do that, it could signal an even deeper shift in the GOP and a possible party split, especially if Trump-like Congressional representatives start getting elected (or do get elected, come November). However, is it worth backing a xenophobic, inexperienced, bigoted, failed businessman for the sake of the party? In that case, it comes down to a case of party loyalty and moral values, and I'd like to extend that question to the others: which of those two things should the GOP leaders and establishment follow, and with what considerations?
I think that Paul Ryan, as a representative of sorts for republican house members, wanted to make a public statement to get the voters back on the side of the party elites after they turned away from people like Cruz and Rubio in the primaries to go to trump. As he stated, he wanted to unify the ideals. It is definitely a good sign for Trump because the people will hold Ryan to his cooperation agreement, meaning that Trump just gained a strong ally, even if Ryan has not endorsed trump yet. On all issues besides immigration, Trump seems to line up with party lines, even more moderate. The Republican leaders will probably be able to work with Trump but the question does stand on how they will address his promises for immigration. Considering the support Trump has from the people and the new enthusiasm for a campaign that hasn't been seen in previous years, I doubt the party will try to find a new candidate just because of the new support they are getting.
I think that the Republican party has realized the scope of their problem recently. Accordingly, the party realized that their best chance is not in an establishment candidate (Cruz). In this way, Ryan and trump's meeting signifies the beginning of unity towards a common goal, which is good to see as Trump has been denounced from the beginning as the unwinnable candidate, at least by the GOP. However, I don't see the GOP working with trump in the long term. his speeches seem to be appealing to emotion rather than logic, and rarely make sense in the larger picture. The party has also said that the programs Trump has suggested are unfeasible, even for the GOP. In this way, thee long term sustainability of such a president's effectiveness will be questionable. In regard to the last question, it makes sense the in July he will be the only option, and it seems that with this compromise the GOP and Trump will get together to try and win the presidency.
I think that this positive tone is a good indication that Trump is actually willing to compromise on important issues when it matters. There have been polls that seem to imply that if a vote were taken today, Trump would win the presidency. However, if he is willing to compromise, it shows that he will not be ineffective. Previously it appeared as if he would not be able to pass legislation, but with the filter of a more moderate Congress he would be less detrimental.
The part does not really have an option to rally behind anyone else. There is no way for the Republican party to find another candidate to support without major PR problems. If they don't chose their popularly chosen candidate, there would be major backlash. I think that the Republican party's winner-take-all or winner-take-most system is most responsible for the rise of Trump because even with just a plurality of the votes, Trump can win every delegate from that state.
This is great for the Republican party, that Trump and the party may begin to see eye to eye. The previous division in the party threatened to rip it apart, but perhaps that rip can be mended. Whether or not Trump can really work together with Republican leaders in the future is still uncertain; we must take note of his lack of experience in politics, which could effect his interactions with the party and his ability to be a more serious candidate. By now, it's probably to late for the party to come up with a new candidate, so Trump will have to be their front image.
I'm pretty sure the anti-Trump Republicans would rather see Trump in the Oval Office than Clinton. It's a good step for Trump supporters to see a new unheard level of compromise from Trump - I wonder what steps Trump will take to try and win the rest of the party establishment, or perhaps GOP leaders will have to concede over to the growing masse of pro-Trumpers who are growing tired with the same old GOP right that keeps on disappointing them. I don't think Trump's extreme foreign policy and immigration rhetoric will help him win over loyal GOP members, and now his challenge will be not to take Hillary's voter base (I just don't see this as possible), but take all the people who are simply not going to vote this election season and somehow convince them that Hillary is the worser of the two.
The GOP's concession of the candidacy to Trump in a relatively coordinated effort somewhat necessitated some such statement by Paul Ryan and the party establishment calling for a united front, for, from their perspective, Trump is the lesser of two evils when compared to Clinton, and if he is to have any chance in the general election, a high degree of party solidarity is required. This attempt to make amends for the heated primary election might be somewhat difficult considering the boisterous and extreme stances Trump has taken, but they have a step up over the Democratic candidate when it comes to time, seeing as Sanders has insisted on drawing out the primary to its bitter end. The difference between the primary and the general is quite profound, and the longer a candidate has to remain in the polarizing environment, the more complicated their appeal is to moderate voters. This being said, a candidate with the extremity of Trump is fairly rare, so the moderates and independents in the upcoming election will surely have an interesting choice, regardless of how much more time Trump has to kiss up to them than the Democratic nominee (which looks to be Clinton at the moment). It will be interesting to see if the GOP's attempts to turn a candidate who won a plurality of the Republican vote into one who can win a majority of electoral points, and if the prevailing trends indicate anything, Trump should not be underestimated.
Ryan's compromise certainly help Trump's legitimacy as a GOP representative and can hopefully start the unification effort that's direly needed in this once proud party. Which ever party side you're one, you must agree that what happen to the Republican party must be one of the lowest point in its history. What a far cry from the height of Reaganism just 30 years ago.
The statement appears to be a political action above all else. As the primaries have dragged on, and as the Republican National Convention has approached, the Republican Party has begun to realize that Trump is their only shot at regaining the White House. Even if that means having an extreme, politically incorrect (and perhaps just incorrect in general) Trump, it is better than a Clinton. So it makes sense that Ryan would speak in such a positive tone. He wants to rally Republican voters prior to the election and create a sense of unity that will allow the Republican Party to once again regain control over the White House. It also makes sense for Ryan to not straight up endorse Trump. I can see Ryan running in future presidential elections, for he has already risen in power among Republicans and is one of the more reasonable and levelheaded of the pack. However, if he endorses Trump, a competitor could bring up the fact that he supported one of the most offensive figures to ever run for president, and that would surely hurt his image and chances of winning. Overall, I see the statement as the party clenching their teeth and feigning support in order to attain their ultimate goal: the White House.
I agree with Abhishek that this meeting's purpose was to gain lost support from Republicans. Donald Trump may be the only candidate still running for the nomination but he still has to gain the support of the Republican party to win in the general election. I believe that this meeting and public statement occurred in an effort to make Donald Trump seem both like someone whom more Republicans can support and identify with and also like someone who is capable of smart compromises. House Speaker Paul Ryan's new support of Trump should help him gain some votes from people who previously supported Ryan but not Trump. However, Donald Trump still has a long way to go. He may be able to convert a few voters into supporters of his but he still has to gain the support of party officials as well as many more popular votes.
This statement seems to be purely for political reasons. I do not believe that Ryan personally likes Trump. I think that Ryan does not really agree with Trumps points but does not want an Obama-type administration for another four years. He realizes that Trump is the republicans only hope in being president. So rather than fight against Trump and criticize him, Ryan rather make Trump look as good as possible. This partnership is probably all political and for the best of the republican party.
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