Three days after Donald Trump told The Washington Post he was “not quite there yet” when it comes to backing House Speaker Paul Ryan, the Republican presidential nominee reversed course late Friday and announced his support.
“In our shared mission to make America great again, I support and endorse our Speaker of the House Paul Ryan,” said Trump, who also endorsed New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte and Arizona Senator John McCain, which he also held off on doing.
The GOP nominee was trying to mend a days-long rift within the party after a week plagued with controversies that threatened his campaign. Trump’s refusal to endorse Ryan earlier this week — while using Ryan’s own words ― was seen as payback for Ryan saying he wasn’t ready to endorse Trump.
“I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country,” Trump told the Post. “We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I’m just not quite there yet. I’m not quite there yet.”
Ryan — who is facing a challenge from Paul Nehlen in Wisconsin’s primary on Tuesday — brushed off the diss, insisting that, “neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump’s endorsement.”
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Trump’s running mate, endorsed Ryan the following day breaking, insisting the decision to back Ryan had Trump’s blessing.
8 Simple Campaign Rules Donald Trump Broke This Week (Photos)
Breaking the normal rules of campaigning helped Donald Trump win the Republican nomination. But since the general election kicked off last week, Trump's rule-breaking has only hurt him. Here are 8 simple campaign rules he has broken, and links to how he broke them.
Ronald Reagan used to call this the 11th commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican," because the last thing you want is people in your party turning on you. Oops, too late.
8. Don't eat fried chicken with a knife and fork
But you might want to think about eating crow.
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Dude: What are you even doing?
Breaking the normal rules of campaigning helped Donald Trump win the Republican nomination. But since the general election kicked off last week, Trump's rule-breaking has only hurt him. Here are 8 simple campaign rules he has broken, and links to how he broke them.
