America's conservatives are at a "crossroads" and should ignore former President Donald Trump to advance the GOP's political beliefs, former House Speaker Paul Ryan said.
Ryan, whose prepared remarks were obtained by the Associated Press, was set to discuss the Republican Party's future at a Thursday night speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.
"We conservatives find ourselves at a crossroads. And here's one reality we have to face: If the conservative cause depends on the populist appeal of one personality, or on second-rate imitations, then we're not going anywhere," Ryan said in his remarks ahead of his speech.
He also made comments on President Joe Biden, describing him as "more leftist than any president in my lifetime" and encouraged conservative principles to be supported.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
Ryan's comments come as the vast majority of Republicans in Washington and beyond remain loyal to Trump even while the former president continues to make wildly false claims about his election loss last year.
He was among the most respected Republicans in the nation's capital before Trump's rise and has been largely silent since he left Congress two years ago.
In his remarks, Ryan is not going after Trump by name, but the context is clear.
The Wisconsin Republican was the opening speaker for the library's "Time for Choosing" series, which will later feature 2024 Republican presidential prospects such as former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Those close to Ryan, 51, do not expect him to run for public office again, but they suggest he remains concerned about the future of the party. He is on the boards of the library and Fox Corp., which owns Fox News.
Ryan also is taking aim at the GOP's tendency to engage in culture wars. Some Republicans, for example, spent weeks praising Dr. Seuss after some of the popular children's author's books stopped being published because of racist images.
"We conservatives have to be careful not to get caught up in every little cultural battle," Ryan says in his prepared remarks. "Culture matters, yes, but our party must be defined by more than a tussle over the latest grievance or perceived slight. We must not let them take priority over solutions—grounded in principle—to improve people's lives."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
