Aside from what was most likely an accidental subtweet—that Donald Trump “heard a voice in this country that no one else heard”—Ryan’s press conference today was triumphant. He mentioned that he and Trump had talked twice on election day. He said that he was “very excited” to work with him after his inauguration. He repeatedly brought up his friend Mike Pence, and stressed Republican unity after spending the previous weeks and months distancing himself from Trump.
But Trump’s campaign was largely animated by revenge, and Trump is someone who is quite open about the fact that he holds grudges and rarely lets them go. Last night, Sean Hannity, who undoubtedly has Trump’s ear more than Ryan does, made a bold prediction in a call to Fox News: “Paul Ryan is not going to be the speaker of the House in January.” That’s because, he said, Ryan is part of the political establishment that was rejected by “real Americans” across the country.