President Donald Trump's continued attacks on Paul Ryan come after the release of excerpts in a new book in which the former speaker said Trump “didn’t know anything about government." | Alex Brandon/AP Photo White House Trump calls Ryan a 'baby' after the former speaker blasted him in a new book

President Donald Trump extended his tongue-lashing of former Speaker Paul Ryan, telling reporters on Friday: “The only success Paul Ryan had was the time that he was with me.”

“He was a baby,” Trump said. “He didn’t know what the hell he was doing.”


“For him to be going out and opening his mouth is pretty incredible,” Trump declared.

Trump’s comments follow the release of excerpts from a new book by POLITICO Magazine's chief political correspondent, Tim Alberta, in which Ryan said Trump “didn’t know anything about government” and that he wanted to “scold him all the time.”

“We’ve gotten so numbed by it all,” Ryan said in the book, "American Carnage". “Not in government, but where we live our lives, we have a responsibility to try and rebuild. Don’t call a woman a ‘horse face.’ Don’t cheat on your wife. Don’t cheat on anything. Be a good person. Set a good example.”

Trump kicked off his retaliation on Thursday evening, tweeting that Ryan was a "lame duck failure" who lost the majority because of "poor leadership and bad timing."

The president revived the attacks on Friday, accusing Ryan of being inept at fundraising, not being aggressive towards Democrats while Nancy Pelosi has handed out subpoenas “like cookies,” and losing control of the House. The president then claimed that Ryan was shouted offstage at an event in Wisconsin.

“I introduced him and they booed him off the stage,” the president claimed. “10,000 people!” he added. Trump then mentioned that Wisconsin was a state that he had won.

Other Republicans are coming to Ryan's defense, including Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who ran a failed presidential campaign with Ryan as his vice presidential candidate in 2012.

“The fault of our 2012 loss is mine alone,” Romney said. “@SpeakerRyan was a tireless campaigner, fundraiser, and conservative champion.”

“A man like Paul Ryan does not often come along,” the senator added.

