Former Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanKenosha will be a good bellwether in 2020 At indoor rally, Pence says election runs through Wisconsin Juan Williams: Breaking down the debates MORE (R-Wis.) offered some praise for President Trump, saying he’s energized a base of Republican voters who didn’t previously participate in politics.

“What I think people get excited about is he's not taking any crap,” Ryan said Sunday in a wide-ranging interview with PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff. “I mean, he’s taking on political correctness, he’s taking fights that a lot of people want to see fought. The forgotten man that he speaks to is a person that finally feels like they’re being taken seriously, they’re being paid attention to. And he’s concerned about their issues.”

Ryan, who has not been Trump’s most ardent or consistent supporter, said the president's base is now "the guttural core” of the Republican party. ADVERTISEMENT

“What that base Republican voter sees is this guy is not backing down and he’s fighting for me,” Ryan said.

If Trump is elected for a second term, Ryan said Trump’s base will likely remain the core of the party going forward.

He also told Woodruff he learned it’s “far more effective” to not publicly criticize the president, according to the Washington Post.

“You’ll have far more success on things keeping it private than having a public spat,” he said.

Ryan didn’t, however, offer an opinion on whether Trump is offering a good example for the next generation. In response to Woodruff's question, he simply took a sip of water and laughed.