Donald Trump slammed Fox News and Paul Ryan with a scathing post on his Truth Social account on Saturday, saying the news organization "went lame" when the former Speaker of the House joined its board.
Trump's comments came as Ryan is under fire by some Republicans and conservatives for comments he made Wednesday, saying members of his party "didn't have the guts" to vote to impeach the former president.
On Saturday, Trump blamed Ryan, who he called a Republican in name only, for what he perceives as issues at the news organization.
"Did anyone notice that Fox News went lame (bad!) when weak RINO Paul Ryan, who is despised in the Great State of Wisconsin for being 'a pathetic loser,' went on the Fox Board," Trump wrote.
Ryan has been on the board of Fox Corp., Fox News' parent company, since March of 2019. In the post, Trump urged Fox News to remove him from the position.
"Get Ryan off your Board and report the News as it should be reported...And stop taking negative ads from the perverts, and others!!!" Trump wrote.
Trump also complained about Fox News not covering his allegations of election fraud. The former president has long claimed without evidence that widespread voter fraud is to blame for his loss in 2020 to President Joe Biden.
"They won't even talk about an obviously Rigged 2020 Presidential Election, not even a mention," he wrote. "That's why our Country is going to HELL - Elections have consequences."
Ryan's remarks were made in Florence, South Carolina, where he spoke supporting Republican Representative Tom Rice. Rice voted to impeach Trump after the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, and is facing a Trump-endorsed GOP challenger in the state's primary June 14.
"There were a lot of people who wanted to vote like Tom but who just didn't have the guts to do it," Ryan said. "There are a lot of people who say they're going to vote their conscience, they're going to vote for the Constitution, they're going to vote for their convictions, but when it gets hard to do that, they don't do it."
His comments garnered backlash from conservatives including Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman.
"Paul Ryan would've been one of those 'gutless Republicans.' Ryan pisses me off bcuz he's had a big platform the past 4 yrs but he's said absolutely NOTHING as Trump incited an insurrection, attacked our democracy, & destroyed the truth," Walsh tweeted.
Newsweek reached out to Ryan, Fox News, and a Trump representative for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Margaret Weaver is a Newsweek night editor based in Pennsylvania. Her focus is covering U.S. politics, crime and public health. ... Read more
