Trump endorses Ryan, McCain after rift

Just days after saying he was “not quite ready” to endorse Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Republican nominee offered his endorsement of Ryan while campaigning in Ryan’s home state of Wisconsin Friday evening.

The Manhattan billionaire contended that while he and Ryan do not see eye-to-eye on many issues, they do agree on many other things.

Trump sparked further GOP outrage earlier in the week when he refused to endorse Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican and the party’s top elected official.

Trump’s original speculation this week the House may need “very strong leadership” instead of Ryan flew in the face of party solidarity during a tense presidential year and after the speaker’s own appeals at the Republican National Convention in July the GOP unite against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. We need very strong leadership. “I’m not quite there yet”, Trump said at the time.

“He appreciates the gesture and is going to continue to focus on earning the endorsement of the voters in Southern Wisconsin”, a Ryan aide told Breitbart News in response to Trump’s endorsement.

As of this writing, Ryan, Ayotte, and McCain have yet to respond to Trump’s endorsements. “We’re talking about jobs, and Donald Trump is basically shadowboxing with every enemy he can think of instead of talking about what Americans want to talk about”. McCain, a former Navy pilot, was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

The Janesville Republican is facing a primary challenge from businessman Paul Nehlen in the state’s 1st Congressional District.

He also refused to support the Arizona Senator, John McCain, and his colleague from New Hampshire, Kelly Ayotte, who both condemned his comments about the family of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq in 2004.

Trump also thumbed his nose at Ayotte, citing her lack of direct support.

“I support and endorse”. But Trump has maintained that he, “wasn’t there yet”, in endorsing Ryan.

A poll taken this week shows Ayotte trailing her Democratic opponent, New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, by 10 points in the race for Ayotte’s Senate seat. “We have to make them”, Trump said. He has skipped from one misstep to the next, sparking a fresh wave of Republican defections among longtime party loyalists who refuse to support their presidential nominee – including some who even publicly support for Democrat Clinton.

In a radio interview Friday morning, Ryan did not rule out withdrawing his endorsement of Trump.