iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Paul Ryan said he believes the White House will be a “tempering agent” for President-elect Donald Trump and get him to focus on work rather than picking fights on social media.
“We’re different people,” Ryan said of him and Trump in a nearly 60-minute sit-down interview with Charlie Rose on Wednesday. “We constantly communicate and that …
has done a lot to build trust.”
During the interview, Ryan touched on everything from Trump’s plan to build a wall to Russia’s alleged interference in the presidential election.
When asked about the role of Russian hacking in the election, Ryan said he didn’t think it had an influence on the outcome, adding that he believes it all came down to how the candidates connected with voters.
“I just think what [Hillary Clinton] did not do is connect with people,” he said.
Ryan added that he believes that Trump knows Russia is a “malevolent” actor, describing the president-elect’s approach as “transactional” and “carrot-stick diplomacy.”
“I think this is going to be an unconventional presidency,” Ryan said.
Ryan did little to clarify the details of Trump’s plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, but he said the funding for it would come directly from Obamacare.
“Obamacare is built on a house of sand that is quickly collapsing, so we want to take those resources and direct it toward what we think is smarter replacement policy,” he said.
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