Trump Unloads on Twitter: Paul Ryan a 'Lame Duck Failure'

President Trump unloaded via Twitter late Thursday on former GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan, calling Ryan a "lame duck failure." Ryan is very critical of Trump in the book American Carnage by Tim Alberta of Politico, in excerpts running in various publications, the AP reports. Alberta wrote that the former speaker could not stand the idea of another two years with the president and saw retirement as the "escape hatch," according to the Washington Post. Ryan is quoted saying: "I'm telling you, he didn't know anything about government. I wanted to scold him all the time." Trump tweeted: "He had the Majority & blew it away with his poor leadership and bad timing. Never knew how to go after the Dems like they go after us. Couldn't get him out of Congress fast enough!"

Ryan's "record of achievement was atrocious (except during my first two years as President)," and he left "his Party in the lurch both as a fundraiser & leader," Trump tweeted. He added: "When Mitt chose Paul I told people that’s the end of that Presidential run. He quit Congress because he didn’t know how to Win. They gave me standing O’s in the Great State of Wisconsin, & booed him off the stage. He promised me the Wall, & failed (happening anyway!)." The late-night rant came soon after CNN covered Ryan's comments about Trump. USA Today notes. (In a busy 24 hours on Twitter, Trump also slammed cryptocurrencies and most of the leading Democratic 2020 candidates, while praising himself as "great looking and smart.")