Paul Ryan and His Donald Trump Endorsement – The End of Two Careers?

It is impossible to switch the news on and not hear something about Donald Trump. On the 1^st of June, Paul Ryan officially endorsed Trump, while at the same time stating that there were a few things that they didn’t quite agree on. The world went crazy, and reputation management experts such as Eric Schiffer took to Twitter and beyond to discuss the meaning of this move. This move, quite literally, could mean the end of Ryan’s career. Or perhaps even Trump’s career.

And, perhaps as expected, it didn’t take long for Ryan to start to show just what he didn’t agree with when it came to trump. On the 14^th of June, Trump once again stated he wanted to ban Muslims from entering this country, in the wake of the terrible events in Orlando. Ryan, however, immediately stated that he in no way agreed with that. And it seems that there are actually many key points that the two don’t agree on, leaving others to wonder just why Ryan bothered to back Trump.

So what issues are they at loggerheads over?

The Ban on Muslims

Paul Ryan doesn’t just disagree with Trump on banning Muslims. Rather, he fully condemns it. As the Speaker of the House, he stated that the USA does not stand for the idea of banning people who are, in their majority, peaceful individuals. This was a public statement that he made on the 8^th of December. This is in stark contrast to Trump’s idea, who believes all Muslims should be banned from entering the country, at least until such time that a greater understanding of ‘what’s going on’ can be established.

David Duke

Then, there is David Duke. Ryan clearly stated that the Republicans do not prey on the prejudices of other people. In fact, he stated that any group that is ‘built on bigotry’ should be rejected very clearly. When asked about David Duke, a white supremacist, Donald Trump stated that he would have to further investigate the group before making any kind of judgement on the group or the individual.

Trump Rallies Violence

Another thing that has gripped the world is the violence that has been seen at many Trump rallies. Trump even publicly stated, at his Cedar Rapids rally, that if anyone in the audience had any tomatoes to throw, they should ‘knock the crap out of him. In fact, he even added that he would cover any legal fees that they would face. Ryan, meanwhile, said that he was incredibly concerned about the violence that seemed to be present at Trump rallies. He feels that candidates have to take personal responsibility and that violence should never be condoned.

Judge Gonzalo Curiel

Trump stated that Curiel should not be able to preside over proceedings because he had Mexican heritage. Ryan directly spoke out against Trump on this issue. He also stated that he would continue to do so. Interestingly, this statement came the day after Ryan’s Trump endorsement.

The infamous suggestion of Trump that he would build a wall on the Mexican border (paid for by the Mexican government, apparently) was in direct relation to Judge Curiel. Trump felt that he has been unfairly treated by him on several occasions and that this is purely due to the judge’s Mexican heritage. Ryan described this as a racist comment and he feels that there will be many more times where he has to speak out against the candidate he only so recently endorsed.

Has Ryan now lost his credibility? Or is his work doing things that are damaging Trump’s reputation? Or maybe it is even both…