Trump and Ryan compete for control of the GOP

Paul Ryan never intended to fight Donald Trump for control of the Republican Party.

Months before the New York celebrity businessman emerged as the front-runner for the GOP nomination, the House speaker anticipated the chance the presidential contest that might leave the party fractured and aimless. According to aides, Ryan decided to take preemptive action. House Republicans would try to chart their own course, independent of their eventual presidential nominee — on policy, defining what the party stands for, and how they communicate with voters.

But as Trump inches closer to the nomination, he and Ryan are increasingly competing for dominance over the party. Neither is backing down.

Last week, Ryan delivered what he billed a major speech on the "state of American politics." The speaker promoted an inclusive, conservative approach to governing widely interpreted as a direct rebuke of Trump's brash, big-government populism. This week, Trump is heading to Janesville, Wis., Ryan's hometown, for a campaign rally.

"I don't think Paul woke up one day and said, 'I have to do something about Trump.' It's more about trying to shape how the public sees us," a House Republican told the Washington Examiner. "I think the Trump factor just makes it a little more serious, the consequences more dire, than we thought they might be originally."