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."
Subscribe to 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.
-
Real-life couples creating real-deal sparks in the best movies to star IRL partners
The Week Recommends The chemistry between off-screen items can work wonders
-
Is China's giant new hydropower dam a 'water bomb' aimed at India?
Today's Big Question River is a 'lifeline for millions' across Asia
-
Aysegul Savas' 6 favorite books for readers who love immersive settings
Feature The Paris-based Turkish author recommends works by Hiromi Kawakami, Virginia Woolf, and more
-
Judge halts GOP defunding of Planned Parenthood
Speed Read The Trump administration can't withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, said the ruling
-
Trump contradicts Israel, says 'starvation' in Gaza
Speed Read The president suggests Israel could be doing more to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Trump attacks Obama as Epstein furor mounts
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the Obama administration of 'treasonous' behavior during the 2016 election
-
Trump administration releases MLK files
Speed Read Newly released documents on the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not hold any new revelations, King historians said
-
Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election losses
Speed Read Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office