Instead, when Trump won, Ryan folded the speech back into his jacket pocketwhere it has receded deeper ever since . . .

But after Trump took office, Ryan blinked at confronting the presidents appeals to white racial resentments. Pressed for reaction to comments like Trumps reported description of African nations as shithole countries, Ryanmanaged to mumblethe bare minimum of plausible criticism: The first thing that came to my mind was very unfortunate, unhelpful. For most people genuinely distressed by Trumps remarks, unfortunate and unhelpful were probably not the first words that came to mind; racist and xenophobic were.

Even more consequential was Ryans refusal to challenge Trump on behalf of the young undocumented immigrants included in former President Barack Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Though the speaker repeatedly promised the Dreamers that Congress would protect them, he has allowed the legislation that would have preserved their legal status to wither, after Trump and House Republican hardliners insisted on linking it to poison-pill provisions that would slash legal immigration.

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Pundits agree: Paul Ryan is retiring because he sold his soul ...