No matter what Paul Ryan tries to say or portray, he’s walking away from Washington as a failure. As Speaker of the House he never accomplished some of his most significant goals and promises; trying to repeal Obamacare turned into a disaster, Americans aren’t buying the new tax plan, he never reformed the entitlement programs he hates so much, and he punched a massive hole in the deficit.

The once rising star of the Republican party is now part of the long list of Republicans running away from Washington and distancing themselves from Trump. But unlike some of the other Republicans, Paul Ryan still may have a political career left in him.

Ryan is exiting Washington soon, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be back.

Washington is all Ryan knows

Washington is all Paul Ryan knows. Right after graduating from college, Ryan went to Washington seeking a career in politics. Ryan started from the bottom as a legislative aide while working as a waiter, fitness trainer, and other odd jobs to support himself.

He worked his way up becoming a speechwriter, getting mentorship from big-name Republicans like Jack Kemp, and in 1998 he was elected to the House for the first time. Overnight, Paul Ryan became the second-youngest member of the House. Over the next eight years, he would easily defeat anyone that challenged him in his district.

In every race, Ryan received strong support from the Republican establishment and never received anything less than 55 percent of the vote.

In 2012, he launched himself onto the national stage as Mitt Romney’s vice presidential candidate.

Ryan was the handsome, young, family man that was working to become the new face of the Republican party. But Ryan’s presence didn’t draw younger voters to the Republicans, and Obama ended up winning a second term. However, losing didn’t force Ryan out of the spotlight.

Ryan became an even more vocal critic of Obama and government spending.

In the fall of 2015, Ryan became Speaker of the House. It was a job he didn’t want at first, and Republicans had to convince him to take. He became the youngest Speaker since James Blaine in 1875.

Ryan looked like he was on his way to becoming the Republican presidential nominee, but when 2016 rolled around, Ryan didn’t jump into the crowded Republican field.

Donald Trump tore apart establishment Republicans and along with it, tore apart everything Ryan had been building. Trump took the party and image away from Ryan. Eventually, Ryan would end up endorsing Trump.

From day one of the Trump presidency, Paul Ryan ignored Trump’s tweets and false statements to push his agenda. However, even when he got the chance, Ryan couldn’t get anything done.

Even with Republicans controlling all three major branches of government Ryan couldn’t repeal and replace Obamacare or get entitlement reform. He did eventually end up getting the tax reform that he wanted so desperately, but no matter how hard he tried to spin it the bill didn’t help Republicans. Voters turned on Republicans, and the party started losing special elections.

Trump turned into a headache and Republicans have decided to retire left and right. Paul Ryan couldn’t build the party up as fast as Trump took it over. But even though Ryan is walking away now doesn’t mean he won’t come back.

President Ryan?

In the next few years, Ryan will step away to be a father, do behind the scenes work for traditional Republicans, and potentially wash himself of Trump. He’ll use the time away to separate himself from the President who is now defining the Republican party. In 10 to 15 years Paul Ryan will still be young enough to run for president.

A whole decade might be long enough to rehabilitate his image and gain the support that he has lost. The real question is, could Ryan win a Presidential Race in the distant future?

Has Trump stolen those presidential dreams or did Ryan squash his last chance?

Paul Ryan's platform of entitlement reform and small government isn't something that has gained the support of Americans. In fact, health care has been the number one issue for most voters in the recent special elections and Americans that once trusted Republicans to fix healthcare have lost faith in the party.

Americans support having healthcare and entitlement programs like social security. Ryan’s consistent attacks on the current healthcare system and entitlement programs have drawn Americans to the poles but turned the votes against the Republican party.

What’s crushing Ryan’s future presidential chances is America's shifting demographics.

Ryan always said that he wanted his party to reach out to all groups of people and voters, but in recent years the Republican party has rejected that policy and aimed just to keep Trump’s base happy. However, Trump’s base isn’t the group that’s growing, but nearly every other group in America is.

More young people are getting involved in politics, minorities are growing, high schoolers are organizing rallies in DC, and women are literarily marching through the streets in protest of the President. These groups have already shown up at the polls and pulled off some major upsets in special elections.

The young voters and the generation about to be eligible to vote can’t stand the Republican party, they’ve run away from it and have been vocal critics of many of its leaders.

Barrack Obama and Bernie Sanders may have drawn a lot of young people to the Democratic Party, but it’s the Republican party and Paul Ryan’s fault for not coming up with some policy to appeal to the voters they’re losing.

Ryan could have been the young face that made the Republican party into something more, but he sold the soul of the party to Trump just to get a tax cut. No matter where Paul Ryan goes he will always be associated with today’s Republican Party, but Americans don't support everything he let it become.

Ryan will one day ride back into Washington hoping to become president, but with an America that’s going through changes, there’s no guarantee the Republican party or the base he once knew will be there to support him.
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