‘A total disgrace’: Paul Ryan speaks on McCarthy ousting, today’s … – Daily Herald

Speaking to an auditorium of students at Utah Valley University, former U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke on political polarization, this week’s removal of the House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the debt crisis in America.

After speaking to students, Ryan and former Utah Gov. Gary Herbert hosted a private luncheon where they continued discussions on fixing the budget and the national debt and Ryan shared his thoughts on Donald Trump.

McCarthy being ousted

“I think what happened in Congress the other day was a total disgrace,” Ryan said. “(McCarthy) didn’t deserve it.”

On Tuesday, the House made the unprecedented vote to remove the California Republican after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Flordia, brought a motion on Monday to oust McCarthy for working with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. Eight far-right Republicans joined the Democrats in voting the West Coast representative out.

Ryan, the former speaker and 2012 vice presidential candidate, said Congress needs to fix the “motion to vacate” rule, which allowed Gaetz to bring a vote to remove the speaker — or the situation will repeat itself, he warned.

Ryan spoke against what he called “entertainer” politicians in Congress for the attention, saying McCarthy’s removal was a “testament” to this problem.

“You’ve got these people who go to Congress to build a brand and to entertain, not to govern,” he said. “And that is not going to help our country, that’s going to set our country backward.”

Reducing the national debt

Ryan called for reform of what he called “entitlement programs” like Social Security and Medicare while also maintaining the benefits provided.

“Those programs are the drivers of this debt crisis that’s coming in front of us,” he said. “We can reform these programs, and we can do it in a way that doesn’t drive your generation deep, deep, deep into debt.”

According to the U.S. Treasury, the national debt is currently sitting at $33.4 trillion.

Ryan said these economic issues are solvable, but the country doesn’t have political leaders today who are willing to do the right thing, and he pointed to polarization and “entertainer” politicians as contributing to this issue.

“So the question is, can we, as voters, make sure that we’re not sending, you know, entertainers, provocateurs to Congress, to our state legislatures, but people (who) will get stuff done?” he asked.

During a private luncheon after his lecture to students, Ryan said he believed legislation proposed by Sen. Mitt Romney, the Trust Act, would help rein in some of the debt.

The bill would require the government to identify endangered federal trusts and create committees to determine long-term solutions to reduce the debt.

Donald Trump and the 2024 election

Ryan has long criticized Donald Trump, referring to the former president as a “scourge” on Tuesday, adding that the Republican Party will lose next year’s presidential election if Trump becomes the nominee.

“I’m old school,” Ryan said. “I believe political leaders should strive for being honest, ethical and moral people and try to set a standard for the rest of the country. Donald Trump doesn’t do any of that.”

In speaking on a repeat Trump and Joe Biden matchup, Ryan said he believes the Republican Party will lose in such a scenario.

“We’re gonna give away the presidency again if we nominate this guy,” he said. “But if we nominate any one of these other candidates, all of whom are good, qualified people … we win this election.”

Polarization in America

During a question-and-answer portion, multiple students asked Ryan questions on fixing polarization and political division in the country.

Ryan pointed to “identity politics,” which he said are designed to place certain people in groups and divide them, as part of the polarization problem.

He encouraged students not to support and play into politicians who use identity politics, something he said has grown in the Republican Party.

In answering a question on how citizens can work to alleviate divisions, Ryan made a stab at the Flordia Republican who led the effort to oust McCarthy from the speaker chair.

“Don’t elect more Matt Gaetzes. Elect more John Curtises,” he said, adding that the U.S. representative from Utah’s 3rd District is a “problem solver.”

Ryan also advised the younger crowd to put down their phones and spend time in their community.

He added he believed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are great at building connections in communities, particularly because of church missions.

“I really sincerely believe each of you are uniquely qualified because of your skill set, your background, your training, your faith to help our country rejoin with each other,” Ryan said.

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