GOP spat repaired in time for primaries
Trump vouches for both Ryan and McCain, tells supporters Republicans should be united
GREEN BAY, WIS.— Donald Trump endorsed House Speaker Paul Ryan late Friday, ending a four-day standoff between the GOP’s most powerful men that exposed deepening concerns about the New York billionaire’s presidential candidacy.
Ryan, like other top Wisconsin Republicans, did not attend Trump’s evening appearance in their state.
Having refused to endorse the Speaker earlier in the week, Trump said, “We have to unite” as he vowed to support Ryan in next week’s primary contest.
It was a stunning reversal for Trump, a candidate who is known for his refusal to admit mistakes and whose general election campaign has been defined by his constant attacks on fellow Republicans.
Trump also threw his support behind Arizona Sen. John McCain and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, with whom he has sparred.
“We will have disagreements,” Trump said. “But we will disagree as friends and never stop working together toward victory.”
Ryan reiterated his support for Trump hours before the endorsement, but the Wisconsin Republican noted his support wasn’t a “blank cheque” and pledged to speak out against the businessman’s divisive positions if necessary.
Party divisions were easy to find Friday in Wisconsin, a state that Trump’s team insists he can win in November. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker skipped the evening rally, preferring to attend an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner instead of appearing with his party’s standard bearer. Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos offered a blunt message ahead of the presidential nominee’s arrival. “Welcome to Wisconsin, Mr. Trump, but let’s get something straight,” Vos wrote in an open letter to his GOP colleagues. “We are Ryan Republicans here in Wisconsin, not Trump Republicans.” The Midwest mayhem underscored Trump’s mounting challenges during one of the most tumultuous weeks of his unorthodox campaign. 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 publicly support for Democrat Clinton.
Eager to change their minds, Trump unleashed a torrent of insults at Clinton.
“If Hillary Clinton becomes president,” he said at an earlier rally in Iowa, “you will have really, in my opinion, the destruction of this country from within.”
Trump called his Democratic opponent “a dangerous liar,” “an unbalanced person,” “pretty close to unhinged,” “totally unfit to lead,” and lacking “the judgment, temperament and moral character to lead the country.” In Wisconsin, Trump added, “She’s a monster.”
Complicating the Republican Party’s 2016 challenge are fresh signs the nation’s economy is strengthening under a Democratic president.
The Labor Department reported Friday that U.S. employers added a healthy 255,000 jobs in July, a sign of confidence that could point to a resilient economy.
Trump’s approach to national security came under fire Friday as well, with former CIA director Michael Morell contending the Republican nominee would make “a poor, even dangerous commander in chief.”
Morell, outlining his views in the New York Times, also questioned Trump’s praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“In the intelligence business, we would say that Mr. Putin had recruited Mr. Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation,” Morell wrote.