Former House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday that Republicans will lose the presidential election if Donald Trump is the nominee and that he expects hard-right followers of Trump to force a government shutdown within days.

Ryan, who left office in 2019 and had a sometimes contentious relationship with Trump, said he hoped that another Republican nominee would gain enough momentum early next year to overtake Trump after the first primaries. Ryan represented southeastern Wisconsin in Congress for 20 years, the last four as speaker.

“The party that puts the first fresh face forward wins this election,” Ryan said at an event on the University of Wisconsin campus organized by the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs.

    • Random Dent
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      1291 year ago

      My favourite Paul Ryan moment was when he said Rage Against The Machine was one of his favourite bands, and then Tom Morello wrote a lengthy article in response about how much of a jackass he is.

      Like imagine naming your favourite band and then they go super far out of their way to tell you specifically to go fuck yourself lol.

      • @NounsAndWords
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        671 year ago

        It’s crazy to think that Ryan wouldn’t know the extremely vocal opinions of his alleged favorite band RATM. Like…it’s in the name, and the lyrics, and from all of Morello’s public statements.

        …does Paul Ryan not know that he is “the machine”? Or is he just a willfully ignorant asshole?

        • @NegativeInf
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          151 year ago

          I think he enjoys it because he is the machine. The wailing of those who oppose him is the most sweet lullaby.

        • @Catma
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          71 year ago

          Ryan clearly thought they were raging against like dishwashers and washing machines

        • @Wrench
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          21 year ago

          I mean, I like bands that I don’t agree with politically or philosophically. The biggest one that’s to mind is A7X which is annoyingly hyper conservative victimism. It does mean I get tired of eye rolling and change artists after a while, but I can still enjoy the music for a while until the lyrics get overwhelming.

      • @[email protected]
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        61 year ago

        This happened in the UK with our right wingers too. David Cameron said that his favourite band was The Smiths. Johnny Marr publicly stated that David Cameron did not like The Smiths, because he forbade it. He would however allow it, if David Cameron left office immediately.

        Now I think about it, didn’t the Village People have beef with Trump over his use of YMCA at campaign rallies as well?

    • @ShakeThatYam
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      191 year ago

      Paul Ryan was literally the speaker candidate that was chosen to appease the Freedumb Caucus (McCarthy was the original choice lol). Ryan is probably the biggest reason someone like Trump came into power.

  • Beemo Dinosaurierfuß
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    741 year ago

    How I miss the days when I disliked Republicans just for being slimey shitweasles and not literal fascists.

    • Nougat
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      301 year ago

      Slimey shitweasle is a precursor to literal fascist.

    • @[email protected]
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      231 year ago

      I mean, regardless of their plans, the Bush era wasted an absurd amount of money and goodwill to get a million Iraqis killed and destabilize the Middle East for generations.

  • [email protected]
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    1 year ago

    Paul “Do you even lift bro” Ryan?
    Paul Ryan lifting weights

    Of course the only republicans to criticize trump are those no loner in office, or are already on their way out.

    Edit: Don’t forget that was instrumental in starting the Tea Party, which is what created the modern republican party as we are witnessing it.

  • @paddirn
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    331 year ago

    If Paul Ryan were still in Congress he’d be just as complicit in this shit show as the rest of the Republicans.

    • @APassenger
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      131 year ago

      I think that’s why he left; he saw this coming.

      Not that I think highly of him, but that’s how it seemed.

    • @Zombiepirate
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      91 year ago

      Remember when the Romney campaign tried to sell him as a “policy wonk?”

      I guess that plays better than “out-of-touch wet fart.”

      • Semi-Hemi-Demigod
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        81 year ago

        All I remember about him is he said his favorite band was Rage Against the Machine because he’s a fucking dipshit frat boy

        • @Zombiepirate
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          71 year ago

          To be fair, that’s a perfect distillation of Paul Ryan.

  • Neato
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    211 year ago

    Republicans’ only semi-popular candidate is Trump. And seeing as he has dozens of indictments and stands a better than average chance of being incarcerated (or at least house arrest) by the time he’d be sworn in is pretty pathetic. I don’t see a way Republicans win in 2026 but I’ve been surprised at the criminality and stupidity of this country too many times before.

    • @CosmicTurtle
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      161 year ago

      Fun fact: nothing prevents Trump from serving as president while being in prison. Absolutely nothing in the Constitution and nothing in federal law.

      Imagine with me a sitcom where Trump is about to receive a foreign prime minister but has to cancel last minute because he spit his lemon cookie at a guard and got 5 days in the hole.

      Please let this be fiction.

  • lettruthout
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    211 year ago

    My hope is that the GOP loses this election as the country’s changing demographics catches up to it. Then they fade away to irrelevance, like the GOP in California. (They haven’t won a state-wide office in years.)

  • @thorbot
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    191 year ago

    Former Speaker Paul Ryan says WHO THE FUCK CARES- THIS GUY IS A SHITSTAIN

  • Nougat
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    181 year ago

    … he hoped that another Republican nominee would gain enough momentum early next year to overtake Trump after the first primaries.

    In the first debate, all the people on the stage said they would support Trump if he got the nomination and was a convicted felon, with the exception of Asa Hutchinson and Chris Christie.

    Hutchinson is not going to make it to the next debate.

    Sorry Paul Ryan, it looks like your misplaced hope is for one fascist to be replaced with another. Go fuck yourself.

  • @[email protected]
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    161 year ago

    That’s what they said in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022, and they were only right 3 of those 4 times.

  • blanketswithsmallpox
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    1 year ago

    Fuck Paul Ryan, fuck Ron Johnson, fuck Robin Vos… but a broken clock is right twice a day.

    If anyone wants to shit on his (parent’s?) lawn, go visit Janesville lol.

  • @YoBuckStopsHere
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    101 year ago

    Based on the media, the Democrats lose with Biden and the Republicans lose with Trump. Who actually would win?

    • @[email protected]
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      131 year ago

      In my little bubble people are mostly satisfied with Biden. Curious to see just how true that is nationwide.