Former House Speaker John Boehner's endorsement of current House Speaker Paul Ryan for president must come as an unwelcome surprise to Ryan, Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas tells
Newsmax TV.
"For John Boehner to come out and endorse Paul Ryan for president helps Paul Ryan become president as much, about exactly the same degree that Mitt Romney's condemnation of Trump hurt him. If you get my drift," Gohmert said Wednesday on "The Steve Malzberg Show."
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"You know how much Romney coming out and condemning Trump hurt Trump? Trump went up a few points in the polls. It not only didn't hurt him, he probably went up some."
On Wednesday, Boehner blew off Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, saying, "If we don't have a nominee who can win on the first ballot [at the GOP convention], I'm for none of the above."
Boehner added: "They all had a chance to win. None of them won. So I'm for none of the above. I'm for Paul Ryan to be our nominee,"
Politico reports.
He later during the same speech before the Futures Industry Association conference in Boca Raton, Florida, referred to Cruz as "Lucifer." Before being forced out of his job as House Speaker last year, Boehner had called Cruz a "jackass."
"For Boehner, as unpopular as he has been, to come out and endorse Paul, I'm sure Paul is sitting in his office thinking, oh, thanks a lot, there goes any chance I ever have of being president," Gohmert said.
Ryan, through a spokesman said he while he was flattered by Boehner's nod, he's not be interested in jumping into the race if the opportunity arises.