Paul Ryan talks "obligation" to call out Donald Trump
House Speaker Paul Ryan told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he would continue to speak out against Donald Trump's proposals if they "run contrary" to Republican principles.
"When anyone in our party -- least especially our nominee -- says things that run contrary to our beliefs, to our values, to our principles, we have an obligation to call them out," Ryan said in an interview that aired Sunday. "We have an obligation to not support those things because they don't define who we are."
The Republican leader sought to delineate how his party's positions differed from Trump's, mentioning his "pretty clear" stances against the billionaire's Muslim ban, among other policies.
"I've been pretty clear about that, I obviously don't support the Muslim ban, I do not think we should have a religious test on people who come into this country," he said. "We should have a security test but not a religious test. The reason I say that, is as a Conservative, because I believe in the First Amendment, I believe in religious freedom, I believe in religious liberty."
"I have spoken out in the past against comments that I think are wrong, that don't reflect our principles or our values as conservatives, as Republicans, as Americans. And I'll continue to do that," he assured.
But, Ryan added, he "hopefully won't have to continue doing that."
Last week, Ryan publicly chastised Trump over his attacks on a Hispanic federal judge overseeing two Trump University lawsuits, calling them the "textbook definition of a racist comment." And last year, Ryan rebuked Trump for his proposal to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the U.S.
"I've spoken to him about the Muslim ban and how I disagree with it," he said, acknowledging that he's faced off against Trump over policy ideas. "About the deportation, I don't support that and he said, 'Well, that's not part of our agenda.'"
Trump has publicly said he intends to deport the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., along with building a border along the southern border
Ryan said later that, "I give him probably more advice than he wants."
Defending his decision to back Trump even after their clear policy disagreements, the House speaker pointed to the alternative of Hillary Clinton.
"The reason I did endorse him is because I believe this agenda has a far, far, far greater chance of being made into law to improve people's lives than it would be under President Clinton," he said.
Ryan also announced his intention to serve as the chairman of the Republican National Convention.
"I am the chairman of the Republican convention," he said. "Donald asked me to continue serving that capacity. I do intend and plan on serving as the chairman of the convention. That is what the speaker of the House does. It comes with the job."
In a separate web extra portion of the interview, Ryan also discussed his own legislative goals for the next year, focusing largely on restoring "a faster-growing economy produces more jobs, better wages, a higher take- home pay."
"It's about getting people to work, but it's also getting people prepared to work," he said. "And also, there are a lot of issues that people are dealing with. Poverty comes in many different forms. Addiction, homelessness -- there are lots of problems."
To prove there are chances for his agenda to pass the House, Ryan pointed to his own track record in working across the aisle with Democratic leadership.
"I just passed a law with Patty Murray on evidence-based policy making," Ryan said, referring to his work with Washington state's senior Democratic senator. "I've proven there's bipartisan support."
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Speaker Paul Ryan's office disputes a section of the transcript. They say that Speaker Paul Ryan said, "about the deportation, I don't support that as well. That's not part of our agenda" not the CBS News transcript, "about the deportation, I don't support that and he said, 'Well, that's not part of our agenda.'"