Paul Ryan

=== 2016 presidential election ===
[[File:Paul Ryan (12987458923).jpg|thumb|left|280px|Ryan speaking at [[Conservative Political Action Conference|CPAC]] in March 2014.]]
After [[Donald Trump]] became the presumptive Republican nominee in the 2016 presidential election on May 4, 2016, Ryan was hesitant to endorse him, stating on May 5 that he was "not ready".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Steinhauer|first1=Jennifer|author-link1= Jennifer Steinhauer |last2=Burns |first2=Alexander|title=Paul Ryan Says He Is 'Not Ready' to Endorse Donald Trump|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 5, 2016|access-date=May 8, 2016 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/06/us/politics/paul-ryan-donald-trump.html}}</ref> Ryan and Trump met in private on May 12, releasing a joint statement afterward, acknowledging their differences but stating "we recognize that there are also many important areas of common ground."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/11/politics/paul-ryan-donald-trump-meeting |title=Trump, Ryan tout unity in wake of meeting|date=May 12, 2016|work=CNN}}</ref> On June 2, Ryan announced his support for Trump in an op-ed in ''The Janesville Gazette''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/02/politics/paul-ryan-endorses-donald-trump|title=Paul Ryan endorses Donald Trump|date=June 2, 2016|work=CNN}}</ref>

The following day, June 3, amid Trump's criticism of Judge [[Gonzalo P. Curiel]], Ryan said Trump's critique "just was out of left field for my mind," and voiced disagreement with him.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/03/politics/clinton-statement-on-trump-university-judge|title=Ryan, Clinton slam Trump over racial criticism of judge|date=June 3, 2016|work=CNN}}</ref> On June 7, Ryan disavowed Trump's comments about Curiel because he believed they were "the textbook definition of a racist comment". Nevertheless, Ryan continued to endorse Trump, believing that more Republican policies will be enacted under Donald Trump than presumptive Democratic nominee [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Walsh|first1=Deirdre Walsh|last2=Raju|first2=Manu|title=Ryan: Trump's 'textbook definition of a racist comment'|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/07/politics/paul-ryan-donald-trump-racist-comment/index.html|access-date=June 7, 2016|work=CNN}}</ref> On June 15, after [[Kevin McCarthy]] stated during a conversation among Republicans, "There's two people I think [[Vladimir Putin|Putin]] pays: [[Dana Rohrabacher|Rohrabacher]] and Trump. Swear to God", Ryan interjected, "No leaks. This is how we know we're a real family here."<ref name=WP170517>{{cite news|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/house-majority-leader-to-colleagues-in-2016-i-think-putin-pays-trump/2017/05/17/515f6f8a-3aff-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html|title=House majority leader to colleagues in 2016: "'I think Putin pays' Trump"|first=Adam|last=Entous|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date= May 17, 2017}}</ref>

On July 5, after FBI Director [[James Comey]] advocated against pressing charges against Clinton for her email scandal, Ryan said Comey's decision "defies explanation" and stated that "[d]eclining to prosecute Secretary Clinton for recklessly mishandling and transmitting national security information will set a terrible precedent."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/07/05/republican-reaction-hillary-clinton-fbi-emails/86708602/|title=Paul Ryan, GOP officials blast Clinton over FBI email findings|first=Eliza|last=Collins|newspaper=USA Today|date=July 5, 2016}}</ref>

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Ryan suggested that candidate Trump should release his tax returns.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Ryan suggests Trump should release tax returns |work=POLITICO |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/paul-ryan-trump-tax-returns-228219 |access-date=April 13, 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Trump shaking hands with Paul Ryan.jpg|thumb|Ryan shaking hands with Donald Trump prior to his address to a [[Donald Trump speech to joint session of Congress, February 2017|joint session of Congress]] on February 28, 2017]]
In October 2016, following the [[Donald Trump Access Hollywood controversy|Donald Trump ''Access Hollywood'' controversy]], Ryan disinvited Trump from a scheduled campaign rally,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-pence-too-is-out-at-wisconsin-event-1475944325-htmlstory.html|title=Pence, too, is out at Wisconsin event with Paul Ryan|first=Julie|last=Westfall|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=October 8, 2016|access-date=October 11, 2016}}</ref> and announced that he would no longer defend or support Trump's presidential campaign but would focus instead on Congressional races. He also freed down-ticket congress members to use their own judgment about Trump, saying "you all need to do what's best for you and your district."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/10/politics/paul-ryan-said-he-wont-defend-donald-trump/index.html|title=Paul Ryan said he won't defend Donald Trump|author=Manu Raju, Deirdre Walsh and Kevin Liptak|date=October 10, 2016|work=CNN|access-date=October 10, 2016}}</ref> Trump then went on to attack Ryan, accusing him and other "disloyal" Republicans of deliberately undermining his candidacy as part of "a whole sinister deal".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-idUSKCN12C2I5|title=Trump intensifies attacks on Ryan with four weeks left until Election Day|date=October 12, 2016|work=Reuters|access-date=October 18, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/hill-gop-surrogates-advise-trump-to-stop-ryan-attacks-229671|title=Trump's Hill surrogates: Stop attacking Ryan|date=October 12, 2016|work=Politico|access-date=October 18, 2016}}</ref>