House Speaker Paul Ryan will speak at the Republican National Convention, according to a Ryan aide, part of the Wisconsin Republican’s effort to foster GOP unity after a fractious primary.
Politico first reported Monday that Ryan would deliver a 10-minute, personally written speech at the convention focusing on “the sharp contrast between Republican ideas and four more years of Obama-like progressive policies; and the need for conservatives to unite around Republican candidates in advance of a critical election.”
The Ryan aide told CNN Tuesday is “likely” to be the night when the Wisconsin Republican speaks.
Ryan told Politico he wants “to talk about our ideas, our solutions and how our party should unite … Our agenda, our solutions and how we ought to unite around our common principles and how we apply those principles to problems.”
Ryan’s decision to speak at the convention contrasts with some other high-profile Republicans, such as Mitt Romney, former President George W. Bush, and Sen. John McCain, who have said they will not attend the 2016 GOP convention.
The Speaker endorsed Trump for president in early June after a period of withholding his support, saying, “I feel confident he would help us turn the ideas in this agenda into laws to help improve people’s lives. That’s why I’ll be voting for him this fall.” He has also repeatedly emphasized the need for Republican unity ahead of the general election.
But Ryan has also been a vocal critic of some of Trump’s more controversial campaign trail episodes, calling his criticism of a federal judge “the textbook definition of racism” and stating his opposition to Trump’s proposal for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S.