Former House Speaker John A. Boehner criticized the current Republican Party last week, saying it has become the “Trump party.”
“There is no Republican Party. There’s a Trump party. The Republican Party is kind of taking a nap somewhere,” the Ohio Republican said at a Michigan policy conference last Thursday, according to USA Today.
Mr. Boehner, reportedly with a Bloody Mary cocktail in hand, said he never believed Mr. Trump would become president despite their close friendship while he was speaker.
“Donald Trump, who I know well, was one of my supporters when I was speaker. I was having a rough week, Trump would call me, pat me on the back, cheer me up, played a lot of golf together. But president? Really? I never quite saw this,” he said.
Mr. Boehner said Mr. Trump thought he would lose the election and claims he promised his wife, Melania Trump, he “would not win.”
“The two most surprised people in the world that night were Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton thought that she was going to win, and Donald Trump thought that he was going to lose,” he said.
“I think Donald Trump promised Melania that he would not win. She didn’t have to worry about ever living in the White House. It’s probably why she doesn’t look real happy every day. But, well, maybe one reason,” he said.
Mr. Boehner has been a vocal critic of the Republican Party since retiring in 2015, calling Mr. Trump’s first few months in office “a complete disaster” and knocking other members of the party.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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