Former Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said he would refuse to attend the Republican National Convention in his home state of Wisconsin if former President Donald Trump is the GOP’s 2024 nominee.
In a Friday interview with Milwaukee’s ABC News affiliate, Ryan was clear that he would not support Trump under any circumstances and would only attend the convention if “somebody not named Trump” emerged as the top Republican. The former speaker predicted that the GOP would lose the general election if Trump is the party’s choice.
“Come 2024, the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where will you be?” the journalist asked Ryan.
“It depends on who the nominee is,” Ryan answered. “I’ll be here if it’s somebody not named Trump,” he said, adding that he is “not interested in participating in that.”
“Even in Wisconsin?” the reporter asked.
“Even in Wisconsin,” Ryan confirmed.
The Republican National Convention is scheduled for July 15-18, 2024, in Milwaukee. Former President Trump won the state of Wisconsin in 2016 with 47.2% of the vote compared to Hillary Clinton’s 46.5% but narrowly lost the state in 2020 to Joe Biden. Republicans will hold their first debate in Wisconsin in August, showing the importance of the battleground state in 2024.
The former speaker called himself a “never-again Trumper” in November, shortly after Trump announced his third bid for the White House. He blamed previous Republican election losses on the former president, attributing them to what he called the “Trump factor.” Ryan echoed these statements in the Friday interview, saying Republicans “lost with him in ‘18, in ‘20, and ‘22,” warning that “he will cost us another election.”
A Harvard CAPS-Harris poll released on February 17 tells another story, showing Trump garnering the support of 46% of respondents, beating out President Biden’s 41% with 13% unsure in a head-to-head race. In the same poll, Trump beats out Vice President Kamala Harris 49% to 39%. That poll also shows the former president coming out on top in a hypothetical eight-way Republican primary with 37%, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ 19%. Also included in the matchup is Nikki Haley, who has formally announced her campaign, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).
“I’m just excited about somebody not named Trump,” Ryan said of the Republican field. “There are great people running, I know them all, they’re all pretty decent friends of mine,” he added.
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