Paul Ryan: Trump 'didn't know anything about government' and 'I wanted to scold him all the time'
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan in a new book says President Trump knows almost nothing about government and had to constantly be prevented from making bad decisions.
Ryan spoke to Politico's Tim Alberta for his new book American Carnage, excerpts of which were published by The Washington Post on Thursday.
"I told myself I gotta have a relationship with this guy to help him get his mind right,” Ryan says in the book, per the Post. “Because, I'm telling you, he didn't know anything about government ... I wanted to scold him all the time."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ryan reportedly claims that he and others around Trump "really helped to stop him from making bad decisions. All the time." Now, he argues that Trump is "making some of these knee-jerk reactions" that he was prevented from making before." Ryan further criticizes Trump's behavior by saying "don't call a woman a 'horse face'" and "don't cheat on your wife" while bemoaning the fact that we've "gotten so numbed by it all." He's referring to the fact that in October 2018, Trump on Twitter called Stormy Daniels, the porn star who says she had an affair with him before he became president, "horseface." Ryan at the time said there is "no place for that kind of language."
Alberta's book also describes a day in 2017 when Trump famously tweeted a claim that the Obama administration wiretapped him, with Ryan reportedly bursting out laughing after reading the tweet and with then Chief of Staff Reince Priebus frantically calling Ryan to ask, "What the hell is he talking about?" Ryan, who earlier this year said Trump will not win re-election if the race is about "his personality" retired in January, and according to Alberta's description, he did so because he couldn't imagine continuing to work with Trump and saw leaving Congress as his "escape hatch." Read more at The Washington Post.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Saudi Arabia could become an AI focal pointUnder the Radar A state-backed AI project hopes to rival China and the United States
-
What you need to know about last-minute travelThe Week Recommends You can book an awesome trip with a moment’s notice
-
Codeword: October 29, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
