Politics

Paul Ryan Praises Pence’s Debate Performance, Hopes Trump Will Follow Suit

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

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Juliegrace Brufke Capitol Hill Reporter
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Speaker of the House Paul Ryan praised GOP vice presidential nominee Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s debate performance, adding he believes Donald Trump is capable of being equally effective during Sunday’s debate during a radio interview with Laura Ingraham Friday.

The Wisconsin Republican said he believes debated have a strong impact and thinks Pence “knocked it out of the park” when up against Hillary Clinton’s running mate Virginia Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine.

“We’re hoping for a good debate performance and I think Donald’s going to do that. I think he’s got the potential to absolutely do that. Hillary Clinton is a really, really weak candidate,” he said. “And if we can pick up where Mike Pence just left off, I think this whole thing can come together.”

While Trump’s first debate performance was widely perceived as weak, Pence was almost unanimously dubbed the winner Tuesday after delivering calm and collected answers showcasing the party’s platforms — leaving Republicans hoping the billionaire can harness Pence’s success and ability to stay on message.

Sunday’s town-hall-style debate, set to be moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper and ABC’s Martha Raddatz in St. Louis, Missouri, is a format the Trump camp believes the candidate can excel.

“This is an entirely different debate…I’ve got to tell you, I’m banking on Donald being a lot better at interacting with people than Hillary,” campaign surrogate former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told the Washington Post.

Campaign manager Robby Mook told reporters Thursday they expect the nominee to be “more focused, more prepared” this time around.

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