Ryan Speaks Out On The Nasty State Of U.S. Politics

House Speaker Paul Ryan is calling for a loftier and more hopeful politics amid an ugly and chaotic presidential campaign, even going so far as to apologize for past divisive statements of his own.

In a speech he billed as “the state of American politics,” the Wisconsin Republican told an audience on Capitol Hill Wednesday that he was wrong to refer to “makers and takers” when discussing people who receive government benefits.

He talked about the need to listen to people and try to persuade them if you disagree, saying it was wrong to try to insult people into agreeing. Ryan said he hadn’t always met that standard.

“There was a time that I would talk about a difference between ‘makers’ and ‘takers’ in our country, referring to people who accepted government benefits,” Ryan said. “But as I spent more time listening, really learning the root causes of poverty, I realized something. I realized that I was wrong.”

The speaker’s mea culpa was part of speech delivered to a bipartisan group of House interns, in which he lamented the often nasty rhetoric and contentious campaigning that has marked the current election cycle.

It’s “easy to get disheartened,” Ryan said, but added, “It did not used to be this bad, and it does not have to be this way.”

Ryan’s comments come as many Republicans are openly discussing the prospect of nominating him as the party’s presidential candidate should there be an open GOP convention this summer.

So far, Ryan has brushed aside the idea that he would accept the nomination and has stayed largely neutral during the Republican presidential race. He has tried to avoid commenting on Donald Trump’s candidacy, while saying he intends to support the eventual GOP nominee.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to feature original reporting alongside Associated Press content.