Paul Ryan hits the road for tax reform as a solution to Trump 'anxiety'

House Speaker Paul Ryan toured businesses in the Pacific Northwest this week to deliver the message that Republicans can produce a historic revision of the tax code, despite the difficulty of that undertaking and even while President Trump is dividing the party and the country.

For Ryan, tax reform is both a response to and a solution for the divisions and weekly controversies generated by the White House.

"I've been focused on this literally my adult life. But now, more than ever," Ryan said, a major overhaul of the tax code could "help reduce that anxiety" that the country feels over politics.

The idea that the moment calls for tax reform -- the same goal Ryan pursued before Trump became president -- is a proposition that meets with criticism both from Democrats and from some conservatives who would like to see Ryan more directly confront Trump.

"Just don't kid yourself that [tax reform] resolves the question of: Is Trump fit to be president, or what happens on the Russian investigation, or what happens with his fighting with McConnell, or are there going to be primaries in 10 different states between Trumpy and non-Trumpy Republicans, or what happens on the government shutdown or the wall," said William Kristol, the editor at large of the Weekly Standard who has criticized and opposed Trump.