Pence breaks position with Trump to endorse Paul Ryan

“I strongly support Paul Ryan, strongly endorse his reelection”, Gov. Mike Pence told Fox News on Wednesday.

Paul Nehlen is using Donald Trump’s refusal to endorse Paul D. Ryan as a springboard in his primary battle against the House speaker.

Trump’s non-endorsement of Ryan, which mimicked the phraseology of Ryan’s own hesitant statements about Trump earlier this year, drew varied reaction from those following the presidential race, including from Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.

Pence, who is also close to Ryan after the two served together in the House, said Wednesday Ryan is a “strong conservative leader”.

But then he said the Khans should apologize to Trump for things Khizr Khan said about Trump at the Democratic convention.

While Ryan did endorse Trump on June 2, he has on several occasions been a vocal critic of the candidate’s comments. But these are frightful times for our country. “We need very strong leadership”. Trump was quoted saying that he was “just not quite there yet” when it came to endorsing Ryan. Trump added in the same interview with the Washington Post that he also isn’t supporting Senator John McCain in Arizona or Senator Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire, both of whom face upcoming primaries.

Pence said Wednesday that in politics, it takes time to build relationships.

Manafort spoke after NBC News reported that Priebus, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani were planning an “intervention” to try to persuade Trump to reset his campaign.

Meanwhile, Scott Walker’s campaign says the Republican governor of Wisconsin won’t join Trump at a Green Bay campaign stop on Friday.

That said, a May poll showed Ryan leading Nehlen by 73 points; and second quarter fundraising totals showed the speaker raised more than nine times his challenger’s total.

Nehlen, who has been running a longshot bid ahead of Tuesday’s election, got a burst of attention this week after Trump delivered a series of hits against Ryan. Trump had previously praised Ryan’s opponent, Paul Nehlen, after Nehlen defended Trump’s anti-Muslim statements against The Khan family.

Trump’s phrasing was similar to comments from Ryan, who was slow to endorse Trump.

McCain responded with a lengthy denunciation in which he said Trump does not have “unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us”.

“I haven’t asked for his endorsement at all”. The campaign says Walker will join Trump at future events if they don’t interfere with his work in Wisconsin.

Just two weeks after a Republican National Convention that tried to focus on party unity, the Trump-driven rifts inside the GOP appear to be intensifying.