In this cockeyed campaign year, though, the divide at the moment is between the country’s top two Republicans: the presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, a conspicuous holdout from the candidate’s bandwagon and a man once denounced by Trump for producing a “death wish” budget. “We can’t take any more of the Clintons”. “I mean, he talks about unity, but what is this?” “Over the course of the next few months, I will listen to Donald Trump’s ideas and see if he can earn my support and the support of other conservatives”. Mark Kirk has a new running mate: Donald Trump.
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Another specific group the Democratic presidential candidate could win over are working-class women, who lean towards Republicans, but have been put off by Trump’s rhetoric.
“It’s hard to believe that in a nation of more than 300 million Americans Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be our choices for President”, Graham said.
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry was Trump’s first opponent to criticize his conservative credentials. He mocked Graham’s poor primary showing, saying, “Like the voters who rejected him, so will I!”
In December, after Ryan negotiated a plan to ease automatic spending curbs on the Pentagon and domestic agencies, Trump blasted him and other GOP leaders, saying “the elected Republicans in Congress threw in the towel and showed absolutely no budget discipline”.
Some Republicans have been hesitant to declare support for Trump. “This is not entertainment”, Obama told reporters when asked about the presumptive Republican nominee, and long-time star of the TV show “The Apprentice”.
Bush also said he would not vote for Hillary Clinton, labeling her an “untrustworthy liberal politician” whose election would equate to a third term for President Barack Obama.
The Republican National Committee, under pressure to unify the party or face an electoral rout in the November 8 election, said Ryan and Trump were expected to meet soon. In that case, the vote for the next president would pass to the U.S. House of Representatives, now controlled by Republicans.
John McCain, the party’s 2008 nominee, said this week he would – albeit not with a full-throated endorsement – support Trump.
To some Hispanic leaders, Trump’s tweet was offensive and patronizing, the latest stumble from a candidate who has deeply offended many in their community.
Ryan’s remarks could also cause friction with Trump supporters on Capitol Hill.
“I am not ready to support Speaker Ryan’s agenda”, Trump said.
Yet just days after Trump essentially clinched the GOP presidential nomination with a win in Indiana’s primary, Ryan’s surprise decision to withhold his support dashed any hopes that the party could turn immediately from the brutal infighting of the primaries toward the November election.
Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan.
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Those stark political realities pose one of the biggest problems for Ryan and other GOP officials trying to gauge how supporting Trump in the short-term could impact their party – and, of course, their own political futures – in years to come.
