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Paul Ryan Turns Focus From Donald Trump to House Races, Roiling G.O.P.

Donald J. Trump at a rally in Ambridge, Pa., on Monday.Credit...Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

The House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, dealt a hammer blow to Donald J. Trump’s presidential candidacy on Monday, dashing any remaining semblance of Republican unity and inviting fierce backlash from his own caucus by announcing that he would no longer defend Mr. Trump.

Mr. Ryan’s stance drew an immediate rebuke from Mr. Trump, who posted on Twitter that Mr. Ryan should focus on governing “and not waste his time on fighting Republican nominee.”

Mr. Ryan informed Republican lawmakers on a morning conference call that he would never again campaign for Mr. Trump and would dedicate himself instead to defending the party’s majority in Congress, according to five lawmakers who participated in the call and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Effectively conceding defeat for his party in the presidential race, Mr. Ryan said his most urgent task was ensuring that Hillary Clinton did not take the helm with Democratic control of the House and Senate, two lawmakers said.

The reaction from hard-liners was swift and angry. Over the course of an hour, a stream of conservative lawmakers urged their colleagues not to give up on Mr. Trump and chided Mr. Ryan for what they described as surrendering prematurely in the presidential race. Mr. Trump’s campaign is reeling after a disastrous two weeks that culminated in the release on Friday of a 2005 recording in which he bragged about sexual assault.

One of the conservatives, Representative Dana Rohrabacher of California, attacked the Republicans stepping away from Mr. Trump as “cowards,” three lawmakers said. Another, Representative Trent Franks of Arizona, said, using graphic language to describe abortion, that allowing Mrs. Clinton into the White House would end with fetuses being destroyed “limb from limb.”

Trying to quiet the uproar, Mr. Ryan interjected after about 45 minutes to assure members that he was not withdrawing his endorsement of Mr. Trump, but rather doing what he felt was in the best interests of the House.

For five months, Mr. Ryan and Mr. Trump have alternated between friction and courtship, eventually forging an uneasy working relationship only to see it collapse now, in the final weeks of the race.

AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Mr. Ryan, confirmed that his sole priority for the remainder of the election would be defending congressional Republicans. “The speaker is going to spend the next month focused entirely on protecting our congressional majorities,” she said.

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Great Clash: Donald Trump vs. Paul Ryan

A look at how the Republican speaker of the House and the party's nominee for president differ on issues including immigration, entitlements, and trade.

SCRIPT: Applause - Ryan comes on stage VO HOUSE SPEAKER PAUL RYAN, THE CURRENT HEAD OF REPUBLICANS , WILL CHAIR THE PARTY’S NATIONAL CONVENTION IN JULY. NAT - Ryan says “Hey Hey” BUT HIS VIEWS ARE ALMOST THE POLAR OPPOSITE OF THE FRONTRUNNER FOR THE NOMINATION, DONALD J. TRUMP. http://fox6now.com/2016/02/19/fox6-news-sits-down-one-on-one-with-house-speaker-paul-ryan/ NATS OF TRUMP AT RALLY VO AFTER THE TERRORIST ATTACKS IN SAN BERNARDINO, MR. TRUMP CALLED FOR BARRING MUSLIMS FROM ENTERING THE UNITED STATES. MR. RYAN’S SWIFTLY REPUDIATED HIS REMARKS. SOT: Trump 37149 3714937149 we also have this in our system (man, English, 15 sec): “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.” // SOT: Ryan 37165_1_paul-ryan-trump-muslims_wg What was proposed yesterday is not what this party stands for and, more importantly, it is not what this country stands for.// Some of our best and biggest allies in this struggle and fight against radical Islamic terror are Muslims. The vast, vast, vast, vast majority - of whom are peaceful, who believe in pluralism, freedom, democracy, individual rights. VO AND JUST LAST WEEK, MR. TRUMP DEPARTED FROM THE REPUBLICAN PARTY’S TRADITIONAL POSITION OF STRONG SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL IN THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT. SOT: Trump: MSNBC “That’s probably the toughest deal in the world right now to make.// If I win... Let me be sort of a neutral guy,” VO ON THE ISSUE OF ENTITLEMENTS, MR. TRUMP IS AGAINST CONSTRAINING SPENDING FOR SENIORS. MR. RYAN, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS THE ARCHITECT OF THE PARTY’S PLAN TO REIGN IT IN. SOTS: Ryan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3VFuWqLBa8 Source Daniel Martinez via Youtube “Social security...a cornerstone for many americans...is going bankrupt” SOT: Trump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp-pY9y4VCg Dr.Gina Loudon via Youtube “All other people want to cut the hell out of it, I’m not going to cut it at all. I’m going to bring the money in and I am going to save it” // VO AND ON MATTERS OF FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS, MR. TRUMP IS PRESSING FOR AMERICAN ISOLATION WHILE MR. RYAN WANTS IS A KEY PROMOTER IN GLOBALIZATION. SOT: Trump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kihtDxtcZ54 NFAtoys via youtube (FOX BUSINESS) “We lose a fortune on trade. The U.S. loses with everybody. We;re losing over 500 billion dollars in terms of imbalance with china. // SOT: Ryan 37075_1_paul-ryan-on-tpp_wg We have to engage, we have to lead. Only an active forward-leaning america can tear down barriers to american exports for our jobs. // SOT: Ryan: 37075_1_paul-ryan-on-tpp_wg If we want to create good jobs, we need to make more things in America and sell them overseas. Let’s never forget 96% of the world’s people don’t live in the US. THey live in other countries and we will not sell them as much as we could if we don’t negotiate good trade agreements. VO AS DONALD TRUMP’S LEAD STRENGTHENS IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL NEED TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO RECONCILE THE DIFFERENCES. SOT: Trump: That was the end of that campaign, when they chose Ryan. // SOT: Ryan: Donald Trump makes comments about everybody. I don’t take any of this stuff personally. END IT

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A look at how the Republican speaker of the House and the party's nominee for president differ on issues including immigration, entitlements, and trade.CreditCredit...Jim Wilson/The New York Times; Doug Mills/The New York Times

Mr. Trump did not repeat his Twitter jab at Mr. Ryan at a campaign event in Pennsylvania Monday afternoon, offering instead a red-meat diatribe unlikely to appeal beyond his dedicated base. He repeated his call from Sunday night’s debate for a special prosecutor to pursue Mrs. Clinton, called her “the devil” and warned that her election would lead to “the destruction of our country.”

A buoyant Mrs. Clinton seemed to revel in her growing advantage over Mr. Trump during a speech in Detroit on Monday afternoon. Mr. Trump, she said, had spent their debate “attacking when he should have been apologizing.”

While Mrs. Clinton made no direct reference to the fissures appearing among Republicans, her campaign tried to exploit the moment, releasing several television ads featuring voters who describe themselves as Republicans but plan to vote for Mrs. Clinton.

Jennifer Palmieri, Mrs. Clinton’s communications director, expressed little sympathy for Republicans now fleeing Mr. Trump.

“There was a time when they could have spoken out against him,” Ms. Palmieri said of party leaders like Mr. Ryan. “That time was this summer. Obviously, it is too late now.”

The consequences for both men are enormous. Mr. Ryan and other Republican leaders fear that Mr. Trump’s flagging campaign will imperil their majorities in the House and Senate, and Mr. Trump can ill afford more prominent rejections when he is trying to rally reluctant Republican voters behind him.

Mr. Trump’s candidacy was already in dire condition before Mr. Ryan’s announcement. A poll published Monday by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal found him trailing Mrs. Clinton by a wide margin, drawing less than 40 percent of the vote. The survey was taken before the debate.

And in a sign of how deep divisions now run among Republicans, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, held a conference call of his own after Mr. Ryan’s to emphasize his commitment to Mr. Trump. Mr. Priebus told members that the committee was working in “full coordination” with the Trump campaign and planned to direct “a lot” of money to the presidential race.

“Nothing has changed in our support for our nominee,” he said, vowing “an incredible four weeks” until the election.

Mr. Priebus, long a close political ally of Mr. Ryan, made no direct reference to the speaker’s announcement, or to the dozens of governors and members of Congress who have rescinded their support for Mr. Trump.

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Hillary Clinton was buoyant in Detroit. Her campaign released new ads aimed at Republicans.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times

Representative Scott Rigell of Virginia, a Republican who has long opposed Mr. Trump, said there was a general sense in the House that more humiliating disclosures about Mr. Trump were likely to come before Nov. 8, Election Day.

“There’s a consensus, even among supporters, that the likelihood of something else breaking in a very embarrassing and negative fashion is certainly better than 50-50,” said Mr. Rigell, who joined the call on Monday. “The conference, members, et cetera, are bracing themselves for another salvo of this.”

Mr. Trump seemed to acknowledge that possibility in Pennsylvania, commenting offhand in his speech that if more recordings were to emerge, he would respond with more personal attacks on Mrs. Clinton and her husband.

Mr. Trump’s allies had hoped that the debate would halt the exodus of fellow Republicans from his candidacy, and they publicly implored members of the party on Monday to stick with him through Election Day. Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, Mr. Trump’s running mate, punctured speculation that he might withdraw from the race by pronouncing himself “proud to stand with Donald Trump” in a visit to North Carolina.

Kellyanne Conway, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, also offered an ominous warning for Republicans fleeing Mr. Trump. She noted on television that Mr. Ryan had been booed by Trump fans over the weekend in Wisconsin and said she knew of Republican lawmakers who had behaved inappropriately toward young women, and whose criticism of Mr. Trump was therefore hypocritical.

Just as telling as the frustration from outspoken conservatives in the House on Monday was the silence from so many mainstream Republicans in the chamber, who showed little appetite to argue for or with their embattled nominee.

Few anti-Trump voices weighed in on the call with Mr. Ryan. Representative Martha Roby of Alabama, who defected from Mr. Trump on Saturday, said she would contribute significant money to help Republicans hold their House majority. But she also said she would speak with colleagues in private about her decision to withdraw her endorsement in the presidential race.

Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, a vocal critic of Mr. Trump, asked his colleagues if they were truly confident that there would be no more damaging disclosures. In any case, Mr. Dent argued that the race was effectively over for Mr. Trump.

No new prominent Republicans have withdrawn their endorsements since the debate, but there was a palpable fear throughout the party that Mr. Trump had been damaged beyond repair.

Representative Greg Walden of Oregon, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, urged members on the conference call to take polls in their districts to gauge the effect of Mr. Trump’s political slide.

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Speaker Paul Ryan during the 1st Congressional District Republican Party of Wisconsin Fall Fest on October 8 at the Walworth County Fairgrounds in Elkhorn, Wisc.Credit...Mandel Ngan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Mr. Walden said they should brace for a significant erosion of support for Mr. Trump and acknowledged that the shift could hurt congressional candidates, too. He asked the entire caucus to contribute quickly to the party’s campaign arm, making it clear that they needed to strengthen their defenses across the country.

At a briefing for Washington lobbyists later in the day, Mr. Walden acknowledged to donors that Republicans were in uncharted territory and wholly uncertain of what would happen next.

Still, many members were pointed in expressing their dismay to Mr. Ryan, warning him of grave consequences, in November and beyond, if Mr. Trump’s campaign collapses altogether.

Representative Billy Long of Missouri spoke up in Mr. Trump’s defense, citing the danger of losing the Supreme Court if Mrs. Clinton wins.

“Many of us commented that if Hillary picks the next two to four judges, it will change the fabric of our country of 40, 50 years,” Mr. Long said later. “Abortion and the Second Amendment, also, and lots of Supreme Court concerns.”

A correction was made on 
Oct. 10, 2016

An earlier version of this article misstated the number of women Donald J. Trump held a news conference with to accuse Bill Clinton of sexual misdeeds. It was three, not four. A fourth woman at the event criticized Hillary Clinton for providing legal representation for a man accused of raping a child.

How we handle corrections

Ashley Parker, Matt Flegenheimer and Thomas Kaplan contributed reporting.

Find out what you need to know about the 2016 presidential race today, and get politics news updates via Facebook, Twitter and the First Draft newsletter.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Roiling the G.O.P., Ryan Turns Focus to House Control. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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