Ryan promises unity between Trump, Republicans

RALEIGH, N.C. — House Speaker Paul Ryan campaigned for Donald Trump in the final days of the election on the promise of what a unified Republican government could accomplish in Washington.

Now he’ll have his chance to live up to the pledge.

“This is the kind of unified government we set out to deliver,” Ryan said Wednesday in a news briefing at his hometown of Janesville, Wis. “We’re going to hit the ground running.”

But Ryan’s promises for big deliverables from a government run by Republicans glosses over the challenges that have bedeviled the Republican Party since they took over the House in 2010 and the Senate in 2014.

Even with Trump in the White House, it’s no sure bet Republicans will be able to unify around specific legislative proposals.

For example, despite repeated promises to “repeal and replace” Obamacare, Republicans have never agreed on a proposal they could put forward for a vote.

Those challenges will only be intensified by Trump’s presidency because he is not a traditional Republican and has fluid positions on policy. Trump has broken with the party on key issues, including trade and federal spending on big-ticket items like infrastructure reform.

Democrats may see some areas of compromise with Republicans and a Trump administration. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Wednesday mentioned infrastructure as one such opportunity. But on most policy proposals they likely are to mount a wall of opposition.

Trump was never Ryan’s top choice for president. He openly criticized Trump throughout the campaign.

Ryan once vowed not to campaign with Trump, only to ultimately spend the final days of the election urging voters to send Trump to the White House and Republicans to Congress.

“Trump heard a voice out in this country that no one else heard,” Ryan said Wednesday about the election upset.