House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is denying reports he is considering retiring from Congress as early as next year.
AshLee Strong, a Ryan spokeswoman, called a Thursday report by Politico "pure speculation."
President Donald Trump spoke to Ryan by telephone after the story was published and Ryan assured him they would be working together for "a long time," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said.
The website attributed its information to three dozen people who know Ryan. It said not one of those interviewed, including lawmakers, congressional aides, and Republican lobbyists, believed Ryan will stay in Congress past 2018.
Ryan has served in Congress since 1999.
Ryan, 47, has been tiring of Washington for some time, sources told the website. He would prefer to serve through Election Day 2018, but retire before the next Congress is seated.
The scenario would give him a full year to push for additional legislative packages. Leaving Washington in 2018 also would allow him to spend additional time with his three children before they grow up. Politico, noting Ryan's father had died at 55, reported he desperately wants to be around his kids full time.
But those close to Ryan, said the best part of the retirement scenario is not having to share the ballot with President Donald Trump again in 2020.
He nearly walked away from Congress once before, the website said. Politico described him as "despondent and homesick" after the November 2012 election when he served as Mitt Romney's running mate.
Now, Ryan, cannot afford to reveal he is a lame-duck, Politico said. It would diminish his ability to raise funds for Republicans and cripple his deal-making ability, according to the website. And with a massive pile of cannot-fail bills in January and February, he cannot afford to be seen in a position of weakness.
Asked by a reporter if he is quitting anytime soon, Ryan chuckled and said, "I'm not. No."
The question came around the time of Politico's report and hours after a speculative Huffington Post report.
Ryan took the job reluctantly, after former Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, stepped aside abruptly in 2015.