In an effort to fix some of the damage he had inflicted on his presidential campaign, Donald Trump endorsed House Speaker Paul Ryan to end a four-day standoff that exposed the deeps chasms in the Republican Party over his candidacy.
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Responding to GOP calls for him to refocus his message on Clinton after recent campaign missteps, Trump peppered his hour-long town hall remarks by calling his Democratic opponent “the queen of corruption” and “a unsafe liar” who he said “lacks the judgment, temperament and moral character” to lead the country for four years on the heels of Barack Obama’s “terrible job” as president. “I don’t have plans of having the moral authority of this or that”, he said, adding that as speaker his obligation is to protect the GOP majority in the House.
The timing is unusual.
“Welcome to Wisconsin, Mr. Trump, but let’s get something straight”, Wisconsin’s Assembly Speaker Robin Vos wrote in an open letter to his GOP colleagues ahead of Trump’s arrival.
Mr Ryan, who was earlier endorsed by Trump’s vice-presidential running mate, Mike Pence, is viewed by establishment Republicans as a possible presidential candidate in the future. So extending an olive branch to Paul Ryan – the popular Republican representative of the 1st District of Wisconsin – looks like a strategic move for Trump if he wants the support of fellow Republicans hoping for a strong challenger to defeat Hillary Clinton come November.
Nehlen says Trump’s decision “is appropriate and is a display of true leadership”.
“The legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction, chaos and weakness”, Trump said. Ryan also emphasized his own “born-and-raised” Wisconsin roots.
He says he will continue to speak out to condemn Trump’s comments when necessary. Ryan said: “I’m just going to rise above this stuff and I’m not going to get involved in some sort of petty back and forth”. Asked for comment Friday, Nehlen released a statement that did not address what he said and instead called on Ryan to debate him.
“Donald Trump has insulted a gold star family, evaded questions about why he manufactures products overseas, and kicked a mother and her baby out of his rally”, McGuire noted.
Mr Ryan, the top United States elected Republican, had no plans to attend the event, in a sign of lingering friction between the pair. “He’s not a war hero”, Trump said then. Trump’s weaknesses as a candidate, Clinton said, would strengthen her chances of not just winning the White House, but also putting forward a bold policy agenda in January – notably, comprehensive immigration reform. He repeated several times throughout the morning that he was not seeking Trump’s endorsement and that his constituents – “our employers in Wisconsin” – are his top priority. “I like people who weren’t captured”. “Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, a state I truly love, primarily because that was my first victory”, he said.
Trump was referring to his running mate, Mike Pence, the conservative governor of Indiana.
Trump, in recent days, however, has sought to refocus.
Pence told NBC’s “Today Show” that he is seeing “tremendous enthusiasm” for the Republican ticket. “So I think we’re going to do very well”, he said.
Trump conceded Friday he was wrong to claim repeatedly in recent days that he saw a video of a US cash payment going to Iran.
Trump’s troubles started with his reaction to the Democratic National Convention and, in typical Trump fashion, they began with a tweet.
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The New York billionaire has cited a $400 million payment the USA made to Iran this year, delivered on the same day that Iran released four American hostages.
