From Ryan, a Reminder to Trump of the Stakes for the G.O.P.
It was also perhaps a vain attempt to control the uncontrollable by letting Mr. Trump know that the campaign was not only about him and to make clear he had some responsibility to come to terms with down-ballot candidates on explosive issues like immigration and trade.
“The bulk of the burden on unifying the party will have to come from our presumptive nominee,” Mr. Ryan, the highest elected Republican official in the nation, said in an interview on CNN
.. “It’s time to set aside bullying, to set aside belittlement and appeal to higher aspirations, appeal to what is good in us and to lead a country and a party to having a vast majority of Americans enthusiastic about choosing a path,” Mr. Ryan said in the CNN interview.
.. “He’s the embodiment of everything Americans hate about a system that’s rigged for the top 1 percent,” Mr. Reid said of Mr. Trump during a conference call with reporters. “He’s the definition of a man who was born on third and thinks he hit a triple. What’s worse, he uses his wealth to rip people off and is now sowing hatred and division every place he steps.”
.. In addition, the seats most in play this year are those of the less conservative House Republicans in more vulnerable districts, meaning the speaker could enter 2017 with a smaller but even more conservative majority, making it even harder to strike compromises.
.. And Mr. Trump has spoken favorably about Mr. Ryan’s top lieutenant, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the majority leader.