WASHINGTON – House Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday definitively ruled out a bid for president this year, insisting that the party’s choice should emerge from the group of candidates who pursued the GOP nomination. “Count me out,” he said.
In a brief news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters, the Wisconsin Republican sought to tamp down rampant speculation that he could end up as the party’s standard-bearer if front-runner Donald Trump and the other candidates flame out at a contested convention.
“We have too much work to do in the House to allow this speculation to swirl or have my motivations questioned,” said Ryan, who was the 2012 vice presidential nominee. “Let me be clear: I do not want, nor will I accept, the Republican nomination.”
Ryan’s comments come as a contested convention looks likelier by the day. Ryan and his aides have continually denied the speaker has presidential ambitions this year, but their statements have not put the issue to rest. That’s partly because Ryan also denied he wanted to be speaker last fall after then-Speaker John Boehner announced his resignation, but he ended up with the job anyway.
Tuesday’s appearance was an attempt to shut down the speculation once and for all, and end what aides said has become a major distraction to Ryan’s work as speaker. Yet it may not be enough to quiet the talk about Ryan, given the unpredictable twists of the GOP presidential primary.