Trump Fires Back at Paul Ryan After a Critical Speech

Two familiar names within the GOP are criticizing one another in regard to the future of the Republican Party—former President Trump and former House Speaker Paul Ryan. The one difference is that Ryan didn't mention Trump by name in his criticism, while the former president didn't hold back in his response. Coverage:

• In a speech Thursday night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, Ryan warned that "if the conservative cause depends on the populist appeal of one personality, or on second-rate imitations, then we're not going anywhere," per the New York Times. Ryan, who ran as Mitt Romney's VP candidate in 2012, added that Republican voters would "not be impressed by the sight of yes-men and flatterers flocking to Mar-a-Lago."
• The only time Ryan mentioned Trump by name in his speech was to praise him for his economic policies and drawing in new voters, notes the Times.

• On Friday morning, Trump fired back, reports the Hill. "Paul Ryan has been a curse to the Republican Party," he said. "He has no clue as to what needs to be done for our Country, was a weak and ineffective leader, and spends all of his time fighting Republicans as opposed to Democrats who are destroying our Country."
• It's another sign of the internal fight going on within the party, notes the Hill, as exemplified in the ouster of Trump critic Liz Cheney from her leadership post in the House. It's all the more pressing with Politico reporting that Trump has told confidants he intends to run in 2024 provided his health holds up.
• Trump also plans to resume his political rallies next month, and the Politico Playbook reports that Republicans are "dreading" them, though they won't say so publicly. The rallies give Trump "a new platform to spout conspiracy theories about the election and air his grievances—at the same time most Republicans are desperate to move on and talk about the Biden agenda," per the blog post.
• At Hot Air, Allahpundit says the dilemma for young Republican politicians is made clear in Texas, where Jeb Bush's son, George P. Bush, is holding his tongue about the former president because he hopes to be the next attorney general in Texas. "Imagine bending a knee to a guy who humiliated your own father and who enjoyed humiliating him, just to advance your own career," writes Allahpundit, who predicts Trump won't endorse him anyway.

(More Donald Trump stories.)