Mary Spicuzza

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

President Donald Trump once savaged then-House Speaker Paul Ryan in an angry phone call, questioning his loyalty and telling him "Democrats have been kicking your a-- for decades," a new book about the Trump White House says.

The Washington Post, which got an advance copy of “Team of Vipers" by Cliff Sims, detailed the angry call, which occurred after Ryan criticized Trump's handling of the deadly 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.

Trump held the remote control “like a pistol” and yelled for an assistant to get the Ryan on the phone, according to the account.

"Paul, do you know why Democrats have been kicking your a-- for decades? Because they know a little word called 'loyalty,'" Trump reportedly told Ryan. "Why do you think Nancy [Pelosi] has held on this long? Have you seen her? She’s a disaster. Every time she opens her mouth another Republican gets elected. But they stick with her."

He added, "Why can’t you be loyal to your president, Paul?"

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Trump then tore into Ryan for distancing himself from him shortly before the 2016 election, after the release of the "Access Hollywood" video in which Trump boasted about groping and fondling women, the account says.

"I remember being in Wisconsin and your own people were booing you," Trump reportedly told Ryan. "You were out there dying like a dog, Paul. Like a dog! And what’d I do? I saved your a--."

The newly-reported exchange details another chapter in the strained relationship between Trump and Ryan, who did not seek reelection last year.

The longtime Janesville Republican's seat is now held by former Ryan Staffer Bryan Steil.

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Sims, a former Trump staffer, also wrote that Trump was at times bored by Ryan. He described an instance in which Ryan was in the Oval Office explaining the Republican health-care bill to the president. Trump initially sipped on a Diet Coke and stared at the walls, then walked out, according to the account.

Ryan reportedly continued speaking as Trump turned on a TV in his private dining room, leaving Vice President Mike Pence to convince him to return to the Oval Office.