House Speaker Paul Ryan said that “it sounds like” GOP nominee Donald Trump’s controversial remarks about “Second Amendment people” stopping Hillary Clinton was simply a “joke gone bad.”
Speaking Tuesday night after winning his primary bid for re-election, Ryan admitted he had not heard the audio of Trump’s controversial remarks, but was informed of the comment and said, “I hope he clears it up very quickly. You shouldn’t joke about something like that.”
Ryan went on to say that the Trump-Mike Pence ticket would “put good judges at the Supreme Court” and help the GOP agenda.
On Tuesday, Trump shocked many media commentators when he seemed to suggest that people with guns should do something about Clinton and judges she would choose for the Supreme Court. “If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks,” Trump said. “Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is, I don’t know.”
The House Speaker and GOP nominee have a shaky history that includes Ryan reluctantly endorsing Trump for president and, in turn, Trump reluctantly endorsing Ryan in his state’s primary.
Last week, Trump caused a three-day rift within the GOP when he initially withheld endorsing Ryan for re-election, saying he was “not quite there yet.”
He eventually came around: “In our shared mission to make America great again, I support and endorse our Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.”
Back in June, Ryan responded to Trump’s comments regarding U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel not being able to judge him fairly because he is of Mexican heritage and Trump plans to build a wall with Mexico as “the textbook definition of racist comments.”