Paul Ryan: Sometimes Trump practices unifying politics, sometimes he doesn’t

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said in a new interview that President Trump does and does not act in a unifying way.

“Sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn’t,” Ryan said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” when asked if the president practiced unifying politics.

“But I mean, come on,” CBS interviewer John Dickerson said. “Honestly.”

{mosads}”Look on economic growth, on tax reform, on getting the military and helping veterans, those are things that he has led us to that have really brought people together,” Ryan replied.

“He talks about those things at his rally and that is inclusive,” he concluded.

John Dickerson on @facethenation: You’ve talked about inclusive politics which tries to unify. Does President Trump practice those kind of politics?

House Speaker Paul Ryan: Sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn’t.

Dickerson: But I mean, come on. Honestly. pic.twitter.com/qafC8kxGkb

— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 28, 2018

Trump’s rhetoric has been long criticized by the left as well as some on the right.

His political opponents particularly lambasted him for his comments after mail bombs were sent to high-profile Democrats last week. 

“Time and time again, the President has condoned physical violence and divided Americans with his words and his actions,” said Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) in a joint statement following the president’s comments on the attempted bombings.

The Democratic leaders said the president’s words after the attempted bombings “ring hollow.”

Trump condemned the bombings, calling for unity and a general change to make discourse more civil. 

“I just want to tell you that in these times, we have to unify. We have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America,” he said, prior to Pelosi and Schumer’s statement.

Trump also accused the media of “blaming” him in the spate of mail bombs.