September 27, 2016 | No Comments
House Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday gave a robust endorsement of Donald Trump’s debate performance — even as other Capitol Hill Republicans said he missed opportunities and could have done better.
The Wisconsin Republican, who has been highly critical of Trump’s controversial comments in the past, said the GOP nominee gave a “spirited argument” for Republican priorities, “passed a number of thresholds” and showed “he could go toe-to-toe with Hillary Clinton.”
“I saw Donald Trump give a spirited voice to those of us who don’t like the status quo, and I see emerging in front of us the potential for what a unified Republican government can get you, which can be the solutions,” Ryan said at a news conference Tuesday. “I think he passed a number of thresholds… and showed that for 90 minutes he could go toe-to-toe with Hillary Clinton.”
Other Republicans weren’t so enthused. Republican Study Committee Chairman Bill Flores (R-Texas) said Trump “made some good points, but he wasn’t as consistent as he could be.” Conservative Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) saw “missed opportunities.” And moderate Rep. Charlie Dent, a Trump critic, said the nominee did not meet his goal of demonstrating that he could be presidential and substantive on the issues.
“I think the reaction from a lot of people is: ‘In a nation of over 300 million people, this is the best we can do?’” the Pennsylvania Republican said. “I thought I was watching a dumpster fire.”
Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) said Trump “had an idea where he wanted to go,” but didn’t quite get there: “He started out strong but needed to be able to stay disciplined, and I think the next debate you’ll probably see him more capable of doing that.”
Even Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), a Trump supporter, wouldn’t say Trump won.
“From the lens of Trump supporters, they would believe he did well, and from the lens of a Clinton view, they would say she clearly won,” Zeldin said. “As for undecided voters, I don’t know. … Each side scored some points. Both sides as they watch the video afterwards may say, ‘Maybe I should have answered this question a little differently.'”
Some Republicans, including Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas), didn’t want to talk about the debate at all.
Those who did, however, said one of Trump’s weaker moments came when Clinton attacked him for calling a former beauty pageant “Miss Piggy” when she later gained weight. Trump doubled-down on those Tuesday morning on Fox News.
Without calling out Trump specifically, Zeldin, when asked about Trump’s pageant comments, said his best advice “for anyone running for office is to focus on your policy, your vision.”
Ryan wouldn’t comment on the pageant remarks.
Democrats on the Hill, meanwhile, said Trump’s performance showed why he shouldn’t be president. House Minority Leader Steny Hoyer (R-Md.) said his answers proved it’d be “dangerous” for him to be “leader of the free world.” House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) dodged a question about whether Trump’s behavior — interrupting and talking over Clinton multiple times — was sexist, but did say it was clear the GOP nominee became “unhinged” over the course of the 90-minute faceoff.
“And I think that’s the last thing we want for a president who will have his or her finger over the nuclear button, someone who becomes unhinged so easily,” Becerra told reporters. “I think Donald Trump essentially showed who he is.”
Overall, Republicans on Capitol Hill said Trump’s performance was not poor enough to hurt their candidates in House and Senate races, a big concern heading into the debate.
Republicans also noted that Trump showed again last night that he’s his own breed. During the debate, he railed against trade and backed Democrats’ pitch to revoke gun rights from people on the “no-fly” list, for example. This, some felt, created a buffer to separate the party from the wild and at times unruly candidate.
Ryan, however, glossed over those differences Tuesday.
“With respect to trade, what he has said consistently is he wants to have good trade deals,” Ryan said, striking a conciliatory tone. “We want good trade deals too. We want to make sure the trade deals we get are in the best interest of our country, and that’s something we share.”
Heather Caygle and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.