In a private meeting with fellow lawmakers on Tuesday, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan addressed the rampant speculation surrounding his political future. After his remarks were made, the group of assembled politicians cheered.
With an air of defiance, Paul Ryan declared, “I am not going anywhere anytime soon. And let’s just leave that thing at that,” However, this does little to address the circulating rumors that he will terminate his political career late next year – even if the rumors are true, his statement is also true. To his credit, Ryan has finally come around to helping Trump work with Congress to deliver key legislative victories, like tax reform, and should he retire, it will be on a triumphant high-note, not the disgrace that clouded former Speaker John Boehner’s exit from politics.
In his address, Ryan – who is a spritely 47 years old – said that he has a full agenda for 2018, and intends to help Trump deliver fundamental welfare and entitlement reform to the American people. Hopefully he can do it!
Rumors of his departure were triggered by a Huffington Post story last week, but were later picked up by legitimate news sources, like Politico.
“I think Paul’s got to do what Paul’s got to do. He was a reluctant person to take the job; it’s not something he ever wanted,” said Representative Paul Gosar, a member of far-right Freedom Caucus. “And you know, there is something to be said about going out when you’re on the top of the heap when you get something like tax reform. Anything is possible.”
Another colleague from the GOP of Ryan said “the wisdom in leaving right after a big success. But at the same time, there is no factual basis that he’s leaving right away,”.
Though it is also said that if the Speaker – who still is young – has aimed to run presidential campaigns, now would be a good time to step down from his position and prepare for the election of 2024.
“We still have things we need to accomplish,” Representative Mimi Walters, a strong Ryan ally said. “And after we get through tax reform, we want to make sure we get the ‘Better Way’ agenda implemented.”
However, Representative Evan Jenkins was less optimistic, acknowledging that, “He’s done a tremendous job this year. Look at what we’re on the cusp of doing. These things unfortunately take on a life of their own and tend to get traction when there really is no indication from the Speaker [that he’s leaving]. In fact, it’s just the opposite.”
