Paul Ryan says it's his obligation as the Speaker of the House to support presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, but he won't force fellow Republicans to do the same.
In an interview with NBC's Chuck Todd, Ryan said it's his responsibility as Speaker of the House to keep the Republican Party united and promised to continue criticizing Trump if he says or does "something that puts a bad label on conservatism."
"Imagine the Speaker of the House not supporting the duly elected nominee of our party, therefore creating a chasm in our party that splits us in half which basically helps deny us the White House, and strong majorities in Congress.”
Ryan explicitly denied that he was choosing party over country, arguing that he remains behind Trump because Republican primary voters chose him.
"He won the election. The voters voted for him…That's the choice they made." He continued, "That's not something I can control."
Photo Credit: Illustration by Daniel Sircar/NBC; Photos by Getty Images
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