Washington: Amid protests against President- elect Donald Trump and fear of attack on the religious and ethnic diversity of the country, a top Republican leader today assured Americans that the nation's inclusiveness and plurality will remain intact and there was no threat to them.
"I think people should be rest assured. America is a pluralistic, inclusive country. It has, it has been, and it will continue to be," House of Representative Speaker Paul Ryan told CNN.
"I really think that people should put their minds at ease. We're going to get to work on solving the big country's problems, getting this economy growing, fixing our national security, fixing our health care problems, getting our budget put together, the things that we have been talking about," he said.
Ryan made the remarks while responding to a question on Americans coming on the streets against Trump, who won the presidential election on November 8.
"I think people should just really put their minds at ease. We are pluralistic. We're inclusive. That's the kind of country we want. That's the country we are. And that's the country we're still going to have," Ryan said as he condemned the increase in attacks against religious minorities after the election.
"That's terrible. That's awful. That's not Republicans. We are the party of Lincoln. People who espouse those views, they're not Republicans. We don't want them in our party, even if they're thinking about it. I'm confident Donald Trump feels the same way," he said.
Ryan asserted that there is no place for such hate and said that protests, as long as they are peaceful, were fine.
"That's what the First Amendment is all about," he added.
Responding to a question on illegal immigrants, Ryan said the focus is on securing the border and not deporting people.
"I think we should put people's minds at ease. That is not what our focus is. That is not what we're focused on. We're focused on securing the border," he said.
"We think that's first and foremost. We get into any other immigration issue, we have got to know who's coming and going in the country. We have got to secure the border. So, we believe an enforcement bill, a border security enforcement bill, is really the first priority. That's what we're focused on," Ryan said.
