Speaker Ryan implies he would have voted in favor of Brexit

Dec. 7, 2011: House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., second from right, accompanied by fellow committee members, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP)

If House Speaker Paul Ryan was British, he might have been celebrating on June 23.

The Republican leader implied Monday that he would have supported the campaign to leave the European Union because their argument for leaving embodied American values.

“I can’t say I’m surprised because people want self-government, they want sovereignty, they want self-determination, and I can’t say that I would feel differently if I were a citizen of Great Britain when you have people from other countries regulating your country, writing your laws,” Ryan told Wisconsin’s WGTD radio station. “I can clearly relate to the thinking behind the Brexit vote.”

The WGTD interview was consistent with his initial statement the day after British voters shocked the world by voting to leave the EU.  Ryan said he respected and understood the UK’s decision to leave because it aligned with the “very important” American principles of sovereignty, self-determination, and government by consent.

He also reaffirmed Monday that “what is important for us as Americans is to show solidarity with the people of Great Britain, to demonstrate that they’re still our ally… Our special relationship is intact.”

President Obama and Hillary Clinton have been vocal about their opposition to the Brexit movement in the past.

Ryan joins his party’s presumptive nominee Donald Trump in supporting the majority of British voters on their move toward autonomy.

FoxNews.com's Liz Torrey contributed to this report.