In a revealing interview, former House Speaker Paul Ryan delivered a scathing critique of ex-President Donald Trump, labeling him an “authoritarian narcissist” and expressing regret that more Republicans didn’t oppose him when they had the chance. Ryan’s comments come amidst ongoing debates within the GOP about the party’s direction and leadership.
Speaking with Kevin Kajiwara, Co-President of Teneo Political Risk Advisory, Ryan, who now serves on the board of Fox News parent company Fox Corp., shared his perspective on Trump’s influence on the Republican Party. He believes that Trump’s approach is detrimental to the GOP’s success in elections and predicts Trump will lose to President Joe Biden if he runs in 2024.
During the conversation, Kajiwara inquired about Ryan’s view on how history will remember GOP figures like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who faced political backlash for opposing Trump. Ryan responded, “Look, Trump’s not a conservative. He’s an authoritarian narcissist… He’s a populist, authoritarian narcissist. So historically speaking, all of his tendencies are basically where narcissism takes him, which is whatever makes him popular, makes him feel good at any given moment… He doesn’t think in classical liberal-conservative terms. He thinks in an authoritarian way.”
Ryan praised Cheney and Kinzinger for their courage in standing against Trump, acknowledging the cost to their political careers. He reflected, “I think Adam and Liz are brushing their teeth, liking what they see. And I think a lot of people in Congress are good friends of mine who would take the vote back if they could.”
The former Speaker also touched on the dynamics within the Republican Party following Trump’s second impeachment, suggesting a sense of regret among some members for not taking a stronger stand against Trump.
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4 Responses
> “authoritarian narcissist”
How does that make him any different than all the other presidents (and most members of Congress) in the past 34 years?
Pure projection — Ryan is a narcissist who undermined the GOP when, upon deciding to leave Congress, he convinced a substantial number of GOP congressmen to leave Congress with him, which led to the opposing party to gain a majority in the House. He is angry that Trump’s Administration turned out to be very successful.
Having “taken his marbles and gone home,” we’d all appreciate it if he would keep his unwelcome statements to himself. But, as a narcissist, he won’t!
Also, there is nothing at all authoritarian about Trump. Watching any complete Trump speech – not CNN or MSNBC edited snippets – reveals Trump’s keen sense of humor, his compassion, his love for America, and his unwillingness to sell America out to foreign interests for personal gain (unlike so many others such as Ryan and the Bidens).
Oh shut it Ryan. Enjoy your board job doing nothing.
Anyone who goes from being an entrepreneur (rather than one who works up the corporate ladder, and learns to be a team player), will appear authoritarian. If he had worked in public corporations, Trump would have had to learn how to work with boards of directors he didn’t appoint or with shareholders to be kept happy. His whole career involved companies he owned, rather than corporations with shareholders and boards, so he is used to being able to make his own rules. This is probably why he is the only president who entered public life directly from such a career -there have been presidents who were businessmen, but never one who controlled a large business before.
And he never hid the narcissism and in fact he in many ways entered political life “In character” of the role he “played” in his TV show. Apparently enough people saw his character flaws (as conventional politicians see them) as features, that they elected him president.