Former Speaker of the House and Fox News board member Paul Ryan reflected on his vice presidential debate against President Joe Biden on Tuesday on “Your World with Neil Cavuto.”
Ryan, who was selected as failed 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s running mate, told Cavuto that Biden was a “different guy” when the two debated during the 2012 election.
“You were almost the vice president of the United States. What happened?” Cavuto asked.
“Uh, 250,000 votes in three states we didn’t win,” Ryan said.
“And what do you think caused that?” Cavuto asked. “Was it Mitt Romney dropping the ball?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Ryan replied. “We ran against Barack Obama who didn’t get blamed for the bad economy that he inherited.”
“So it’s more of an uphill fight for Republicans,” Cavuto remarked.
“Believe me, I would have loved to have Hillary Clinton as our opponent in 2012,” Ryan said.
“But you debated Joe Biden back in 2012, 12 years ago. That man versus the man you see today,” Cavuto said.
“Different guy,” Ryan told the Fox News host.
“Explain,” Cavuto probed.
“I’ve known Joe Biden for 20, 25 years. He’s just aged very quickly. He’s aged a lot,” Ryan said. “The guy I debated 10 years – 12 years ago is not the same guy we have today.”
“Do you think he could make it through a second term?” Cavuto questioned.
“Beats me,” Ryan responded.
When asked by Cavuto if he believes “someone else is pulling the strings” on the Biden presidency, Ryan paused for a moment before pivoting to Trump. He said several Wisconsinites voted for every Republican congressional candidate on the ballot without voting for Trump because they “didn’t like his character.” (RELATED: Trump Targets Service Workers With Key Tax Plan Promise)
Ryan told the Fox News host that Biden is “chasing the wrong voters” because he presented himself “as a moderate” and did not govern accordingly.
“Those suburbanites – basically college-educated suburbanites in my old congressional district and the other congressional district to the north of mine – they thought he was a moderate. That’s not what he is. That’s not what he did,” Ryan said. “He’s chasing the wrong voters, frankly.”
“He’s not asking me for political advice but if he were, I’d say, why did you not move to the middle and become the moderate that you said you would be? He moved to the left, he gave the keys to the progressives. That’s why I’m not a Biden supporter.”
Ryan eventually said that “nobody knows the answer” to whether Biden could successfully serve a full second term. The former Speaker of the House called this a “legitimate question that raises doubts.”
