Paul Ryan may have just ascended to House speaker — but that essentially ends his hopes of ever being in the White House, his predecessor, John Boehner, said Thursday.
“Do you agree that becoming speaker basically ruins Ryan’s chances to be president?” Boehner was asked in an interview with Time.
“I think he recognizes that,” Boehner said. “I’ll let you ask him about it, but not since (President James) Polk has anyone left this office and became president.”
The remarks echo what former presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who tapped Ryan as his vice presidential candidate, said when Ryan was first considering the job.
“You know, there haven’t been a lot of people that have gone on from speaker to the White House, so I’d hate to lose him as a potential contender down the road for the White House,” Romney told CNN’s Jake Tapper earlier this month. “But he is such a man of such talent and such integrity and character that he’s a real resource for the country.”
Ryan did not want the job at first, but with the House GOP in disarray, Boehner lobbied the Wisconsin Republican heavily to take the job.
On Thursday, Romney was nothing but supportive, tweeting out a picture with Ryan and bragging he got the first “speaker selfie.”
Boehner said he gave Ryan advice that speaker’s office is similar to the presidency in at least one regard: loneliness.
“This is the loneliest place in the world. Almost as lonely as the presidency,” Boehner said. “And what makes it even lonelier is what you realize is at the end of the day you’ve got to make decisions and those decisions have consequences and the consequences fall back on one person. So, it’s something that takes a little getting used to.”
Boehner was also clear that he himself carries no presidential aspirations.
“Stick me in the eye with a dull stick. I’ve never been afflicted with that disease,” Boehner said.