Share

Trump, seeking to end Republican row, reverses course to back House speaker

The endorsement comes just three days after Trump told The Washington Post he was “not quite there yet” on supporting Ryan, who will face challenger Paul Nehlen in a primary on Tuesday.

Advertisement

However, in refusing to endorse Ryan, Trump was seen as thumbing his nose at Reince Priebus, the chair of the Republican National Committee and a leader who has gone out of his way to ensure that party elders treat Trump as a legitimate nominee.

Trump, whose candidacy has been marked by frequent attacks on Republican leadership, changed his tune from just days earlier.

He adds that, “This campaign is not about me or any one candidate”, and says: “We will have disagreements. I’m not quite there yet”, Trump said at the time.

Although Ryan is expected to easily win reelection of his Wisconsin district, Trump’s non endorsement of Ryan created ripples within the party throughout the week.

This came as Trump battled publicly with the Muslim family of a fallen soldier and with prominent members of his own party, including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Sen.

Trump also endorsed Arizona Sen.

Trump tweeted Friday that “The plane I saw on television was the hostage plane in Geneva, Switzerland, not the plane carrying $400 million in cash going to Iran!”

The billionaire tycoon had caused a rift earlier this week by saying that he was not ready to endorse Mr Ryan.

Paul Ryan and other elected Republicans haven’t held back criticism for Trump either.

Mr. Ryan has endorsed Mr. Trump, but he said in a radio interview today that his endorsement isn’t a “blank check” and pledged to speak out against the businessman’s divisive positions if necessary.

“Given his stature as our party’s official nominee, Mr. Trump’s decision to support the Republican Speaker is appropriate and is a display of true leadership”, Nehlen said.

He added that the campaign “is not about me or any one candidate”.

“You have a Kelly Ayotte who doesn’t want to talk about Trump, but I’m beating her in the polls by a lot”, Trump told Rucker.

Ryan was not at Trump’s Green Bay rally.

“I also fully support and endorse Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, a state I truly love”, he said.

In the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday, Mrs Clinton’s lead over Mr Trump narrowed to less than 3 percentage points, down from almost 8 points on Monday.

Advertisement

Ryan said he “rejects” any religious test for entering the country – a clear jab at one of Trump’s evolving immigration proposals – and that “Captain Khan was one such fearless example” of Muslim-Americans who have “served valiantly in our military and made the ultimate sacrifice”.

Sanders Tells Backers Immediate Aim of Political Revolution Must Be to Defeat Trump