A Republican majority wouldn’t just be a crucial check on a Hillary Clinton administration. It would be a crucial check on a Donald Trump administration.

Ryan has every reason to believe that if elected, Trump will require significant reining in by the legislative branch. For one, he could revert back to the liberal positions he held before calling himself a Republican. More realistically, he could govern as a centrist, abandoning some of the core conservative policies he promised voters he’d back.

Or he could govern as the authoritarian he’s often run as, abusing executive power to implement his wildly unconstitutional proposals, skirting Congress and the will of the people and taking unprecedented liberties. Whichever of these Presidents shows up, a Republican Congress will be necessary to keep him in line — and the country out of trouble with our allies and enemies alike.

Paul Ryan is smart. He’s doing what he knows is best for Republicans, Congress, and, ultimately, the country. Unlike Donald Trump.