On Monday night, Breitbart News released an audio tape from a Republican conference call that took place just one month before Election Day. In the audio, House Speaker Paul Ryan made disparaging remarks about Donald Trump, and was forced to address them during an appearance on Fox News.
Paul on Trump
During the 2016 presidential election, it was no secret that Donald Trump was at odds with many Republicans.
The more establishment conservatives took aim at the former host of "The Apprentice," mostly due to his outlandish and controversial campaign style that reflected negatively on the party. Paul Ryan was one of the most notable opponents of Trump, with his opposition increasing following the release of the Access Hollywood tape that uncovered Trump's private sexual thoughts. Just days after the tape's release, Ryan held a conference call with Republican members of the House of Representatives, where he expressed "real concerns" with Trump, and vowing to "never defend" him in the future. After Breitbart News released the leaked audio of the call, Ryan addressed the fall-out during a March 14 interview on Fox News.
Joining Fox News host Martha MacCallum was Paul Ryan who did his best to dismiss the audio in question. "I got really thick skin," Paul said, stating, "This is ancient history." "That was back when that video came out," he continued, explaining, "This is no secret that Donald and I had our ups and downs. That the president and I had our differences during the campaign," Ryan continued, before explaining that he is now on the same page with the commander in chief.
Not stopping there, Paul Ryan continued to brush off the leaked audio tape, saying he is "surprised it's even a story." When Martha MacCallum asked he thought someone was out to get him for political reasons by releasing the audio, Ryan concluded, "I don't really even give it much thought.
It's not part of my day job to worry about things like that."
Moving forward
The latest issue facing the Republican Party is over their health care bill. While Paul Ryan and Donald Trump appear thrilled with the plan, known as the American Health Care Act, the Congressional Budget Office released their analysis and determined that as many as 24 million Americans could lose their insurance over the next decade if the bill is signed into law.