Republican Voters Trust Donald Trump Over Paul Ryan to Lead Party

A majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters say they trust presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump over Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan to lead the party, according to a new poll released Tuesday.

The NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll found that 58% of respondents who said they are registered to vote trust Trump to lead the party over Ryan, while 39% said they trust Ryan more.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Ryan said he is pleased with those results. “I hope it’s Donald Trump. He’s getting the nomination,” Ryan said. Asked directly if he sees Trump as the leader of the Republican Party, Ryan said: “Good Lord, I hope it is, because the person who is getting the nomination of our party is the person to lead our party.”

Ryan, the country’s highest-ranking elected Republican, has not yet endorsed Trump for president, but he said he was “encouraged” by their meeting last week. Many conservatives had hoped Ryan would emerge as the Republican nominee in the event of a contested convention, but he has said he doesn’t want the nomination.

While 63% of Republicans who identify as “very conservative” said they trust Trump more than Ryan, and 34% said they trust Ryan more, the margin is smaller among those who identify as “conservative” and “moderate.” In both categories, 57% said they trust Trump more, and 40% said the opposite.

The poll—which surveyed 14,100 adults, including 12,507 registered voters—was conducted online from May 9 through May 15 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2%.