Former President Donald Trump took verbal aim at Paul Ryan, who was Speaker of the House when he was inaugurated, on Monday following a “Fox & Friends” segment denoting his high 2024 polling over the weekend.
Trump attended the Turning Point USA conference in Tampa, Fla., where he discussed running for president again.
After noting that he won the 2016 and going on to still claim he won the 2020 race, though most dispute that, he turned to 2024 and said “now we may just have to do it again.”
He also predicted that if he did not run, political “persecution” of him and his family would end abruptly.
“If I stayed home, if I announced that I was not going to run for office, the persecution of Donald Trump would immediately stop,” Trump also said later in the speech. “But that’s what they want me to do. And you know what? There’s no chance I do that.”
Trump closed his speech saying that with President Biden’s presidency, his reelection slogan of “keep America great,” is now outdated. But, Trump said, “we will make America great again.”
According to :
Former President Donald Trump dominated the 2024 GOP presidential nomination straw poll at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit Sunday, Fox News has learned.
78.7% of attendees said they would vote for Trump.
19% said they would vote for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 1% said they’d vote for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, 0.5% said they’d vote for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; 0.3% said they would vote for Sen. Ted Cruz, 0.3% said they’d vote for former Amb. Nikki Haley; and 0.3% said they’d vote for former Vice President Mike Pence.
Tuesday morning, “Fox & Friends” discussed the massive lead Trump had in the weekend poll but went on to mention that he is running very closely with DeSantis in other survey, leading the former president to criticize the show and Ryan, a critic of Trump’s who is on the board of Fox Corporation, the parent company of Fox News.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform:
“ just really botched my poll numbers, no doubt on purpose.
“That show has been terrible – gone to the “dark side.” They quickly quote the big Turning Point Poll victory of almost 60 points over the number two Republican, and then hammer me with outliers.
“Actually, almost all polls have me leading all Republicans & Biden BY A LOT.
“RINO Paul Ryan, one of the weakest and worst Speakers EVER, must be running the place.”
Trump lashed out at Ryan in June after the Wisconsin Republican was critical of the former president and suggested more Republicans wanted to vote to impeach him but lacked the courage to do so.
Ryan made his remarks as he campaigned on behalf of Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.), one of a handful of GOP lawmakers who voted in favor of impeachment following the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol Building.
“There were a lot of people who wanted to vote like Tom but who just didn’t have the guts to do it,” Ryan said.
“There are a lot of people who say they’re going to vote their conscience, they’re going to vote for the Constitution, they’re going to vote for their convictions but when it gets hard to do that they don’t do it,” he added.
Ryan told voters to back Rice instead of “people who are just trying to be celebrities who may be trying to help Trump with his vengeance.”
“That’s not who voters want, voters want people focused on their solutions not on Trump’s vengeance and that to me is a really clear-cut case here,” Ryan added.
Trump couldn’t let that go.
“Did anyone notice that Fox News went lame (bad!) when weak RINO Paul Ryan, who is despised in the Great State of Wisconsin for being ‘a pathetic loser,’ went on the Fox Board.
“Get Ryan off your Board and report the News as it should be reported. And stop taking negative ads from the perverts, and others.”
Trump endorsed state Rep. Russell Fry in the primary against Rice saying in February: “Russell loves our Military and our Vets — he is strong on Border Security and Crime. Russell Fry, who is all in for the Palmetto State, has my Complete and Total Endorsement. VOTE TOM RICE OUT NOW!”
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Trump Hits Back at Paul Ryan After Former Speaker’s Criticisms