Ryan’s pitch to millennials: GOP ideas over “pandering politicians and populists”

House Speaker Paul Ryan was aware that he wasn’t in the most welcoming company at Georgetown University on Wednesday.

Ryan began his speech with a question: “Why support Republicans?” Students in the crowd responded with a collective laugh.

While he carefully avoided conveying any specific opinions about the Republican presidential candidates, Ryan made a case for why millennials should support the GOP vision in 2016.

As part of his #ConfidentAmerica campaign, the Speaker addressed generational concerns facing young Americans such as student debt, jobs, and economic mobility.

“You grew up during the Great Recession,” he said. “You saw for yourselves how opportunity can disappear in a moment. And when I talk with college graduates it is clear they’re still living with the consequences of this crash. They studied hard but they can’t find a job that matches their new skills. They’re working had but they’re not getting that promotion they’d hoped for. They wanted to buy a house; they can’t afford it. They want to begin to save for retirement; they can’t sacrifice the money.”