Former House Speaker Paul Ryan tells GOP to REJECT Trump as he warns Republicans about drifting from the 'core principles of conservatism'

 Former House Speaker Paul Ryan joined the fight against Donald Trump on Thursday, urging fellow conservatives to reject the former president's divisive politics and those Republican leaders who emulate him.

Ryan, 51, was Speaker from 2015 until 2019, leaving following a series of clashes with Trump. He has kept a low profile since leaving frontline politics, and since March 2019 has sat on the board of Fox News. 

He made his remarks on Thursday during an evening address at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. 

Ryan was critical of both Republicans and Democrats, though he saved his sharpest barbs for Trump, who is by most measures the leader of the modern-day Republican Party.

'It was horrifying to see a presidency come to such a dishonorable and disgraceful end,' Ryan said, referring to the deadly January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

'Once again, we conservatives find ourselves at a crossroads,' Ryan continued. 

'And here's the reality that we have to face: If the conservative cause depends on the populist appeal of one personality, or on second-rate imitations, then we're not going anywhere. 

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Paul Ryan, the former Speaker of the House, on Thursday addressed the first 'Time for Choosing' series at the Reagan Presidential Library in California. The sessions will hear from those considering a run in 2024. Ryan is not believed to be planning a return to politics, but he had some advice for the party, urging them to reject candidates who were similar to Donald Trump 

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Paul Ryan, Republican congressman for Wisconsin, is seen on September 5, 2018 as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Republican lawmakers in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Ryan frequently clashed with Trump, and in April 2018 announced he would step down in 2019. On Thursday Ryan urged his fellow Republicans to reject a Trump-style candidate in 2024

'Voters looking for Republican leaders want to see independence and mettle. They will not be impressed by the sight of yes-men and flatterers flocking to Mar-a-Lago.'

It's unclear how much impact Ryan's words will have in the broader fight for the future of the GOP, if any. 

Ryan, the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee, was among the most respected Republicans in the nation's capital before Trump's rise, but two years out of office, his open contempt for Trump is not in line with the vast majority of Republican voters and elected officials.

A tiny but growing group of anti-Trump Republicans has struggled to steer the party in a new direction, even as Trump continues to promote the same false claims - that he would have won the 2020 election if not for mass voter fraud - that inspired the Capitol insurrection. 

At the same time, Trump is openly contemplating another presidential run in 2024.

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Mike Pompeo, the former Secretary of State, is believed to be considering a run for the White House in 2024. Pompeo will speak at the Reagan Library later this summer

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Mike Pence, pictured with Ryan and Trump, is also set to address the Reagan Library's series. He too is believed to be weighing up a 2024 run, but much will depend on whether Trump decides that he wants to run again

One of Trump's most vocal allies on Capitol Hill, Colorado representative Lauren Boebert, lashed out at Ryan on Twitter ahead of the speech.

'It really is amazing that Paul Ryan, who is the reason the GOP lost the House in 2018, is going to come out today and blame Trump for the problems in the GOP,' she said.

She added a shot at another Trump critic, Liz Cheney, representative for Wyoming. 

'Paul, the problem is you and your pal Liz.'

Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, another staunch Trump supporter, tweeted: 'Paul Ryan is a path to losing for the Republican Party.'

And Bill Kristol, a 'Never Trump' Republican, mocked Ryan's call for an alternative to a made-for-TV politician, pointing out Ryan's $335,000-a-year role on Fox's board.

'If only Paul Ryan were in a position to do something about the degeneration of conservatism into demagoguery and outrage-peddling.' 

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Ryan spoke on Thursday as the opening speaker for the Reagan library's 'Time for Choosing' series, which will later feature 2024 Republican presidential prospects such as former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Those close to Ryan, 51, do not expect him to run for public office again, but they suggest he is paying close attention and remains concerned about the future of the party.  

Ryan described President Joe Biden's agenda as 'more leftist than any president in my lifetime' and warned of exploding federal spending under the Democrats who control Washington. 

He lamented the GOP's interest in culture wars and 'identity politics' at the expense of conservative principles.

'Culture matters, absolutely yes, but our party must be defined by more than a tussle over the latest grievance or perceived slight,' he said. 

'We must not let them take priority over solutions - grounded in principle - to improve people's lives.'

The Republican Party has an opportunity to win elections and address critical policy challenges, as long as they don't get in their own way, Ryan continued.

'If we fail this test, it will be because the progressive left will have won by default,' he said. 

'It will be because the conservative cause lost its way and followed the left into the trap of identity politics, defining itself by resentments instead of by ideals. 

'It will be because we mistake reactionary skirmishes in the culture wars with a coherent agenda. It will be because we gave too much allegiance to one passing political figure and weren't loyal enough to our principles.'