In a recently unearthed video from a January 2025 CNBC “Squawk Box” interview, host Joe Kernen sharply grilled former House Speaker Paul Ryan for his post-election call for Republican unity behind Donald Trump, noting that the former RINO congressman’s position had long been one of hostility to the president.
Making his sharp remarks at Ryan, Kernen mocked Ryan’s shift, noting it “would have been nice before the election” and accusing him of sounding like a Democrat by only now wanting Trump to succeed, despite Ryan’s prior refusal to endorse Trump over Kamala Harris.
Attempting to regain control, Ryan defended his conservative credentials but acknowledged policy differences. In the. comments users pointed out, Ryan’s hypocrisy: after he opposed Trump during the campaign, he now claims alignment on issues like tax, border, and deregulation policies.
In any case, the clip begins with the reporter asking, “So now you’re calling for unity?” Responding, the RINO began, “I am calling for unity.” However, the reporter interjected, “Well, that’s nice, yeah, would have been nice before the election, he won.”
Clearly annoyed, Joe Kernen, “Squawk Box” co-Anchor, said, “Look, even the other thing I thought was funny that you said was when you said, ‘hey, look, I want Trump to succeed.’ You know who that sounds like? Sounds like a Democrat…Of course, you want Trump to succeed. You were Republican.”
The failed political candidate then chimed back in and claimed, “Look, I’m a conservative Republican. I mean, free market limited, that’s who I hear. But my brand of conservatism doesn’t always overlap. I understand, but it wasn’t binary.” Refusing to let Ryan escape, Kernen pointed out, “But, you know, we argued about that. I know we are binary all along. It was always binary, and a vote not for Trump was a vote for Kamala Harris. Can you imagine?”
Attempting to regain control of the situation, Ryan answered, “I know you want to give aid to this. Here’s the point. A lot of this agenda is my kind of conservatism, Trump populism. It overlaps. We disagree on trade and things like that. I’m not with trade fights on China, but I’m not a big fan of all the tariffs on our allies.”
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Wrapping up his entirely unconvincing commentary, the former RINO of a congressman then claimed, “But the point is all this other stuff, the tax policy, the border policy, the deregulatory policy, very good for America. Don’t sacrifice the good for the normally gets done.”
Watch the clip here:
Posting the viral incident, one user said, “Watching Paul Ryan get roasted brings a smile to my face. What makes it better is that a CNBC host did it.” Agreeing, another user reacted, “Please Enjoy Trump-Hating RINO Paul Ryan Getting Obliterated Over His Refusal to Support Trump over Harris and then Weaselly Pretending to be Trump’s Ally.”
“It’s embarrassing for Paul Ryan watching him try and lie now and pretend he is a conservative or a Republican,” a Trump supporter added. Similarly annoyed, one comment pointed out, “Paul is an establishment RINO. He has no place in the modern version of the party.”
Featured image from embedded video