Ryan on Trump’s feuds with GOP lawmakers: ‘It’s what he does’

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Thursday dismissed President Trump’s habit of feuding with GOP senators as just “what he does,” saying that he and other members of Congress try to focus on their jobs instead of getting embroiled in disputes. 

“It’s what he does,” Ryan told NBC’s Kasie Hunt. “We have kind of learned to live with it.” 

He was asked whether Trump’s recent feuds with Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) are “helpful” to advancing the Republican agenda.

“We are here to represent our constituents, to advance our principles, pass solutions; that’s what we are focused on and I try to get our members to just not get distracted by these things,” he said. 

.@SpeakerRyan just told @kasie about Trump regularly engaged in disputes with various members: pic.twitter.com/zxmGIjwZUN

— Alex Moe (@AlexNBCNews) October 12, 2017

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Both Corker and Sasse have been critical of the president on various issues. 

Trump attacked Corker over the weekend in a series of tweets as a “negative voice.” In a later tweet, he referred to the senator as “‘Liddle’ Bob.” 

Sasse recently suggested Trump is in conflict with the First Amendment, following Trump’s comment that it’s “disgusting the press is able to write whatever it wants to write.”

“Are you tonight recanting of the oath you took on January 20 to preserve, protect, and defend the First Amendment?” Sasse asked Trump in a statement, referring to the Constitutional protection of a free press. 

Ryan said he has clashed with the president in the past, although not over the free press issue.

“He and I — not on this particular issue — but we have had our own engagements in the past too. I don’t think it — what I am trying to get our members to do is just focus on our jobs,” Ryan told Hunt. 

The full NBC interview with Ryan will air on Sunday.