--- title: Paul Ryan Says He Doesn't Want and Won't Accept Nomination description: Paul Ryan sought to shut down speculation on Tuesday that he could become the Republican presidential nominee in a contested convention canonical: https://time.com/4291293/paul-ryan-republican-nomination/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-12T19:54:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:50:04.138Z article:section: Politics og:title: Paul Ryan Says He Doesn't Want and Won't Accept Nomination og:description: "Count me out" og:url: https://time.com/4291293/paul-ryan-republican-nomination/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0c6fdf90b33ddb9b/69888ed5f887dc3fe7e9570a/paul-ryan.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: House Speaker Paul Ryan Gives Speech On The State Of American Politics og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Paul Ryan Says He Doesn't Want and Won't Accept Nomination twitter:description: "Count me out" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0c6fdf90b33ddb9b/69888ed5f887dc3fe7e9570a/paul-ryan.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Paul Ryan Says He Doesn't Want and Won't Accept the GOP Nomination > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=fd2f8ccc-86a0-4930-8f95-99b883bfe63e&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Paul Ryan Rules Out Running for President [Watch (HLS stream): Paul Ryan Rules Out Running for President](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/433hJfhR.m3u8) (0:39)  _Published 2016-04-12. The announcement comes after speculation he could emerge as the nominee if there is a contested convention._  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Apr 12, 2016 7:54 PM UTC  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Apr 12, 2016 7:54 PM UTC House Speaker Paul Ryan sought to shut down speculation on Tuesday that he might become the Republican presidential nominee in the event of a [contested convention](http://time.com/4254994/donald-trump-contested-convention-loyal-delegates/). “I do not want, nor will I accept the Republican nomination,” Ryan said during a [news conference](http://time.com/4291046/paul-ryan-president-press-conference/?xid=homepage) at the Republican National Committee. “If no candidate has a majority on the first ballot, I believe you should only choose a person who actually participated in the primary. Count me out.” Asked whether this is any different from the sequence of events that followed when he originally declined after being asked to take up the speakership, Ryan said it was like comparing “apples and oranges.” “Being Speaker of the House is a far cry from being President of the United States,” he said, adding that he was already a representative in the U.S. House when he accepted the position of speaker and he is not a presidential candidate now. Efforts by Ryan in recent weeks to [speak out as a leader for the Republican party](http://time.com/4269342/paul-ryan-speech-donald-trump-civility/) have fueled speculation that he will emerge as a “white knight” following a divisive and inconclusive Republican primary. He [released a video last week](http://time.com/4286802/paul-ryan-confident-america-ad/) encouraging unity and touting his agenda for the House GOP that played like a campaign ad. But Ryan and his aides have [continued to deny](http://time.com/4280619/paul-ryan-republican-nominee/) that the the speaker has any interest in the nomination. “We have an obligation to give a clear picture, a clear choice. To talk about solutions,” Ryan said Tuesday. “That’s why I’ve been giving speeches, that’s why I’ve been communicating a vision for what our party and country can be. And I’m going to continue doing it.” ## Transcript Let me be clear. I do not want, nor will I accept the nomination for our party. So let me speak directly to the delegates on this. If no candidate has a majority in the first ballot, I believe that you should only choose from a person Who is actually participated in the primary. Count me out. I simply believe that if you wanna be the nominee for our party, to be the president, you should actually run for it. 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