Paul Ryan: He And Trump Will Have Good Working Relationship

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has spoken with Republican President-elect Donald Trump and said he hopes to have a good working relationship with the newly elected United States President.

Ryan told reporters Wednesday in his hometown of Janesville that he not only plans to run for House speaker again, but feels very good about working with Trump between now and Trump’s January inauguration.

“How do we make sure when his hand comes off the Bible, when he’s sworn-in as president, that we are hitting the ground running?” Ryan said. “And we are, we are very excited about making sure that’s the case.”

Ryan praised Trump during the press conference and said he and Trump hope to unify the nation.

After the presidential race was called and a Hillary Clinton defeat was certain, Ryan called Trump and his running mate Mike Pence’s win an “incredible victory,” adding the focus in Washington, D.C. has to be on “bringing the country together.”

Ryan said people shouldn’t fear losing civil liberties and other rights under a Trump presidency. When asked about Trump violating such liberties, Ryan said “take a look at the judges that he’s already said he would choose from to put on the Supreme Court. These are judges that actually respect the Bill of Rights that respect the Constitution. One of the biggest victories of this race is the Constitution itself.”

But the ACLU is urging Trump to ”reconsider and change course on certain campaign promises.” Those include Trump’s calls for a ban on Muslims moving to the U.S., greater surveillance of mosques and ending programs that help some undocumented residents stay in America.

Ryan said environmental regulations on businesses is one area he’d like to change with help from Trump. Ryan said workers in several industries will see better times ahead.

“Think about the laid off coal workers now who see relief coming,” Ryan said. “Think about the farmers here in Wisconsin who are being harassed by the EPA and The Waters of the USA. Think about the ranchers in the west who are getting harassed by the Interior Department, or the laid off timber workers. There is relief coming. This is good for our country.”

Environmental groups are raising concerns about Trump taking over the White House, including Trump’s promises to do away with President Barack Obama’s limits on coal-fired power plants. One environmental leader said it’s time “play defense.”

In the last week before the election, Ryan urged Republicans to come home and vote for Trump. But Ryan had criticized some of Trump’s remarks throughout the 2016 election cycle and hadn’t campaigned with the GOP nominee, irritating some in the Republican rank and file.

Ryan won re-election Tuesday night to the state’s 1st Congressional District, defeating Democrat Ryan Solen by a wide margin.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional WPR reporting at 2:46 p.m.