Ryan, who exited the Democratic race late last month, predicated his own White House bid on an appeal to the “forgotten people” of the industrial flyover states Trump flipped in 2016 to capture an Electoral College victory and seize the presidency.

One of the moderating voices in the crowded Democratic field, the congressman’s campaign frequently pushed back against the liberal policy prescriptions favored by top-tier progressive contenders including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Ryan took another implicit shot at their more liberal candidacies Wednesday, advocating an ideological middle ground and emphasizing the need to oust Trump from office as the party's priority.

“I know a lot of candidates and people are talking about, ‘We want a revolution. We want to have big changes. We want to save the environment.’ The best thing we could do … to have a revolution in the United States is to get rid of Donald Trump,” he said.

“To me, it's clear as you go round and round and think about all of these great candidates, that that's Joe Biden,” Ryan added. “And I'm going to support him. I'm going to do everything I can for him in the early states and in the Midwest to help him become the nominee and beat Donald Trump.”