Ryan on Trump comments: Sounds like a ‘joke gone bad’

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Tuesday said he hopes Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump “clears up” his earlier comments, in which he appeared to joke about gun owners taking action against Hillary Clinton.

{mosads}”I heard about this Second Amendment quote. It sounds like just a joke gone bad. I hope he clears it up very quickly,” Ryan said at a press conference Tuesday night.

“You should never joke about something like that.”

Ryan clarified that he didn’t actually hear the GOP nominee’s comments but had heard about them.

During a rally Tuesday in North Carolina, Trump was talking about the possibility that Clinton would appoint liberal justices to the Supreme Court if she wins the White House.

“Hillary wants to abolish, essentially abolish the Second Amendment,” Trump said.

“By the way, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks,” he added.

“Though the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don’t know.”

His comments quickly drew criticism, with the Clinton campaign calling the remarks dangerous. Trump’s campaign sought to quell the backlash, issuing a statement attacking the media.

“It’s called the power of unification — 2nd Amendment people have amazing spirit and are tremendously unified, which gives them great political power,” Jason Miller, a top Trump aide, said in the statement. 

In an interview Tuesday, Trump also pushed back against criticism of his comments, attempting to target Clinton as a president who would take people’s guns away.

“She wants to leave you unprotected in your home. This is a tremendous political movement,” he said on Fox News.

“And there can be no other interpretation. Even reporters have told me. I mean, give me a break.”