Thread: Donald Trump Endorses Paul Ryan in Bid to Heal G.O.P. Rift

Donald Trump Endorses Paul Ryan in Bid to Heal G.O.P. Rift

By NICK CORASANITI AUG. 5, 2016



Donald J. Trump spoke at a campaign event in Green Bay, Wis., on Friday.Credit Eric Thayer/Reuters

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Moving to heal a deepening rift within the Republican Party, Donald J. Trump belatedly endorsed the primary campaign of Speaker Paul D. Ryan here on Friday, giving his backing to the re-election effort of the nation’s most powerful elected Republican.

“I support and endorse our speaker of the House, Paul Ryan,” Mr. Trump said. “He’s a good man. We may disagree on a couple of things, but mostly we agree.”

Mr. Trump ignited a controversy on Tuesday when he said he was not “quite there yet” in supporting Mr. Ryan, echoing a similar line of doubt that Mr. Ryan had cast before eventually endorsing Mr. Trump for president. The remarks threatened to further splinter Mr. Trump’s relationship with the party and infuriated many officials, including Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee. Mr. Trump’s running mate, Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, publicly, but peacefully, disagreed with him and backed Mr. Ryan.

In Green Bay, Mr. Trump sought to move past a tumultuous week plagued with controversy that began with his disparaging of a Gold Star military family, continued with his remarks regarding Mr. Ryan and included repeated proclamations about viewing a “secret tape” that showed Iran receiving pallets of cash from the United States.

Perhaps signaling that he was in a forgiving and unifying mood, Mr. Trump on Friday morning issued a rare admission of an error, explaining on Twitter that the footage he had thought was a secret tape was instead a widely shown clip of American prisoners arriving in Geneva after being released by Iran.
The endorsement of Mr. Ryan is unlikely to assuage some Republicans who are concerned by the combative and provocative Trump campaign and have grown frustrated that the nearly daily controversies have made it more difficult to focus on the perceived weaknesses of the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. On Friday, Gov. John Kasich of Ohio indicated in an interview with CNN that he was considering voting Democratic for the first time.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Mr. Kasich said in response to a question on the possibility that he would not vote for a Republican for president. He added: “I wish that I could be fully enthusiastic. I can’t be. So I don’t know what’s going to happen at the end.”

In Wisconsin, a battleground state where Mr. Trump lost a primary decisively to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and endured unrelenting criticism from popular local conservative radio hosts, the speaker of the State House of Representatives greeted Mr. Trump with an open letter to fellow Republicans, saying, “We are Ryan Republicans here in Wisconsin, not Trump Republicans.”

“As Donald Trump has said stupid things and been rude to so many people over the past year, I usually chalked it up to inexperience and the spotlight of an incredibly hostile press,” the speaker, Robin Vos, wrote. “But since the convention, his lack of judgment has got to concern even the most ardent Trump supporters.”

Mr. Trump made his endorsement after striking notes of unity Friday afternoon at a rally in Des Moines. He praised Mr. Priebus, saying he was doing a “fantastic job,” and complimented Mr. Pence, who was on the campaign trail with him for the first time since they had taken divergent positions on Mr. Ryan’s primary campaign.

“If you don’t like me, that’s O.K.,” Mr. Trump told the Iowa crowd. “Vote for Pence, because it’s the same thing.”

Mr. Pence had echoed similar sentiments in his introduction of Mr. Trump: “We are united, this movement is united, and we’re going to elect Donald Trump as the next president of the United States of America.”

Mr. Trump also focused his message in Des Moines on Mrs. Clinton, peppering his remarks with extended riffs and insult lines against her and President Obama.

“She is pretty close to unhinged,” Mr. Trump said, criticizing Mrs. Clinton’s immigration and foreign policy positions, in particular her relationship with Iran.

He also floated a conspiracy theory that the National Security Agency had the 33,000 deleted emails from Mrs. Clinton’s account (there is no record, report or indication that this is true).

“Does N.S.A. have them? I don’t know,” Mr. Trump said as someone in the crowd shouted in agreement. “Some people have been saying that, that the N.S.A. has them.”

The Clinton campaign has been quick to seize on Mr. Trump’s recent controversies. At a rally Friday afternoon outside a brewery in Milwaukee, two hours from where Mr. Trump would hold his Green Bay event, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, took aim at Mr. Trump for withholding endorsements of Mr. Ryan and Senator John McCain of Arizona.

“While we’ve been talking about jobs, Donald Trump has been going after a family of a war hero, or Donald Trump has been going after fellow Republicans and talking about why he won’t endorse them in their primaries,” Mr. Kaine said.

“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.”


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/06/us...paul-ryan.html

Trump Endorses John McCain at Wisconsin Rally

He said it but it didn't seem sincere. He read it so it wasn't from the heart. I don't know why his arm was twisted but it takes something out of the outsider enthusiasm when you endorse people like John McCain and Paul Ryan especially.

I read comments from Jeff Flake today who is another person that should be gone from Congress because he represents the interests of foreigners more than Americans in his great support of amnesty and Muslim refugee programs, etc. I discovered he is best friend to Governor Mike Pence and said he thinks Pence probably thought he could alter/influence Trump's thinking. Pence, Flake, Ryan and their social justice agenda are going to destroy us. They take from and hurt Americans and give to foreigners. Trump seems to be bowing to the puppet masters.

We are seeing a pattern here in America and around the world where citizens are voicing alarm over the same things we are, illegal aliens and refugees, which are largely unknown Muslims. They are seeing horrible crimes, isolation, preferences toward those two groups and the citizens in other places, like us, don't like it.

Originally Posted by GeorgiaPeach

He said it but it didn't seem sincere. He read it so it wasn't from the heart. I don't know why his arm was twisted but it takes something out of the outsider enthusiasm when you endorse people like John McCain and Paul Ryan especially.

I read comments from Jeff Flake today who is another person that should be gone from Congress because he represents the interests of foreigners more than Americans in his great support of amnesty and Muslim refugee programs, etc. I discovered he is best friend to Governor Mike Pence and said he thinks Pence probably thought he could alter/influence Trump's thinking. Pence, Flake, Ryan and their social justice agenda are going to destroy us. They take from and hurt Americans and give to foreigners. Trump seems to be bowing to the puppet masters.

We are seeing a pattern here in America and around the world where citizens are voicing alarm over the same things we are, illegal aliens and refugees, which are largely unknown Muslims. They are seeing horrible crimes, isolation, preferences toward those two groups and the citizens in other places, like us, don't like it.

Yep, maybe Trump's not his own man after all. He seems to be falling in with the corrupt Washington crowd because someone has probably convinced him that it's the only way he can win. IMO, bowing to the party elites is going to turn some of the base off. I think he won a lot of his support because folks thought he wouldn't cow down to the established party elites. I just hope these endorsements don't give some of his supporters pause. This is the time to solidify support, not weaken it.

What's going on this week just sickens me to the core because for the first time I'm afraid we could lose this election. I'm not much of a drinker, but right now I sort of want to lose myself in a bottle of Jim Beam. Hopefully things will improve over the next few weeks.

If this is true that he got TPP off the table in return for lukewarm at best endorsements for these RINOs that were read, we got something huge. Maybe TPP was already off the table for the year and it was something else good for America. I am going to believe that. I don't think Trump makes one sided deals.

It is Friday night when he announces this and voting for Nehlan is on Tuesday. People who want Ryan out will go vote him out. Same for McCain.

If the "Art of the Deal" was played to get TPP out of the way for now, we'll let us think about that and I personally will celebrate that. Who knows, maybe some more deal making was made on our behalf.

This has been a stomach churning week, but no need to drink, MW. You can rest well. I don't think Trump did this without a big something in return for America.

Trump is trying to navigate in a swamp.

Originally Posted by GeorgiaPeach

If this is true that he got TPP off the table in return for lukewarm at best endorsements for these RINOs that were read, we got something huge. Maybe TPP was already off the table for the year and it was something else good for America. I am going to believe that. I don't think Trump makes one sided deals.

It is Friday night when he announces this and voting for Nehlan is on Tuesday. People who want Ryan out will go vote him out. Same for McCain.

If the "Art of the Deal" was played to get TPP out of the way for now, we'll let us think about that and I personally will celebrate that. Who knows, maybe some more deal making was made on our behalf.

This has been a stomach churning week, but no need to drink, MW. You can rest well. I don't think Trump did this without a big something in return for America.

Trump is trying to navigate in a swamp.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would never be an issue if Trump is true to his word. There is not nearly enough support for it in the Congress to send the next President a veto proof piece of legislation. No, I don't think the TPP had anything to do with this (my opinion). Where did you hear this from?

GeorgiaPeach wrote:

Trump is trying to navigate in a swamp.

He sure is and one filled with alligators. I'm still really disappointed. I guess I knew it was coming, but I wish he'd just gone to Green Bay given his speech and left Wisconsin without reading the "endorsement." We'll see what benefit if any comes from it. I could understand the Rubio endorsement in Florida, but didn't really think the Ryan and McCain endorsements were necessary for Wisconsin and Arizona. Maybe I was wrong, we'll see. I still hope Nehlen and Ward win their primary races.

RYAN'S GOTTA GO!!

SUPPORT PAUL NEHLEN!!!

Originally Posted by MW

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would never be an issue if Trump is true to his word. There is not nearly enough support for it in the Congress to send the next President a veto proof piece of legislation. No, I don't think the TPP had anything to do with this (my opinion). Where did you hear this from?

I used the word "if" in regards to TPP. I read it from others just like us trying to figure it or thinking they knew why the endorsements occurred.

Obama wants it to pass before he leaves but you are correct MW that he lacks the necessary support at this time.

Mr. Trump read the endorsements very matter of fact and it lacked his usual enthusiasm. There must be a strategy and we may or may not find a reason or reasons. He is hopefully chipping away at the edges of the disastrous GOP as he navigates toward the Office of President.

Paul Nehlan's statement was most gracious. I hope he wins.

As I said it is a swamp.

Originally Posted by MW

Yep, maybe Trump's not his own man after all. He seems to be falling in with the corrupt Washington crowd because someone has probably convinced him that it's the only way he can win. IMO, bowing to the party elites is going to turn some of the base off. . .

It sure looks like the old line GOP now controls him.

Paul Nehlan's statement was most gracious. I hope he wins.

Oh wow, they sure were! I just saw Paul Nehlen interviewed on CNN and although the host is clearly a Hillary Flake and tried to counter him, very inappropriately and inaccurately, Paul charged on saying he fully understood that Trump was seeking "unity" and for Trump is the right thing to do. Nehlen hit Ryan hard at the same time and said that Trump was not supporting Ryan's policies, he was not supporting Ryan's TPP or Open Border Agenda, Trump was seeking party "unity" that he knows he needs to win.

OH I HOPE PAUL NEHLEN WINS!! He would be a wonderful Congressman for Wisconsin's First District and for all of America.

RYAN'S GOTTA GO!!

SUPPORT PAUL NEHLEN!!