Ryan v. Trump

by Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: There was an extraordinary exchange yesterday between House Speaker Paul Ryan and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump that may be the most important exchange of the entire campaign.

It began when Ryan was asked by CNN's Jake Tapper if he would formally endorse Trump. Ryan commended Trump, but added that he wasn't sure of Trump's agenda. Here is some of Ryan's response:"I'm not ready to [endorse] yet at this point. . . I hope to though, and I want to. What's required is that we unify the party. And I think the bulk of the burden of unifying the party will have to come from our presumptive nominee.

"I do not want to underplay what [Trump] accomplished. He needs to be congratulated for an enormous accomplishment. . . But he also inherits something very special, that's very special to a lot of us. This is the party of Lincoln, Reagan and Jack Kemp. . . Conservatives want to know does [Trump] share our values and our principles on limited government, the proper role of the executive, adherence to the Constitution. . .

"I want to be part of this unifying process, I want to help unify this party. We have to unify it, I think, for us to be successful. . ."Trump tweeted in response:"I am not ready to support Speaker Ryan's agenda. Perhaps in the future we can work together and come to an agreement about what is best for the American people. They have been treated so badly for so long that it is about time for politicians to put them first!"Enter RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. He spoke with Donald Trump several times yesterday and is reportedly setting up a meeting between Trump and Speaker Ryan sometime next week.

I have no doubt that both Paul Ryan and Donald Trump understand that if there is a Hillary Clinton landslide, there is no way that the Republican Congress can shield itself from the fallout. Democrats would likely retake the Senate, and Mr. Ryan may find himself handing the speaker's gavel to Nancy Pelosi. It is in Paul Ryan's interest to come to an agreement with Trump.

Nor will America be shielded from the fallout.

Trump is obviously bringing many new people into the party. But there are those who cannot accept his opposition to free trade deals and his immigration views. Some may leave. If Trump can limit the hemorrhaging, he could still win the election given the new people he has brought in.

But if Trump loses Paul Ryan and those who identify with him, winning in November would be extremely difficult. So it is in Trump's interest to do his part to unify the party.

It is vitally important for the country and the GOP that Ryan and Trump come to an accommodation and work together to defeat Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.

As Speaker Ryan also stated in his CNN interview, the stakes couldn't be higher:"I think we sometimes forget just how successful we've been. We had the biggest House majority since 1928. We have 54 Republican Senate seats. We have state legislative majorities and governorships that we haven't seen in years, in decades. . .

"We have one hill to climb, one more mountaintop -- that's the presidency. So please know that we think the stakes are extremely high. They're the highest they've been. The Supreme Court, Congress, the future of America is on the line. And no Republican should ever think about supporting Hillary Clinton. Let's make that clear."-------------
Gary Bauer is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families

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