UPDATED August 5, 9:10 p.m. ET: Donald Trump endorsed Paul Ryan and Sen. John McCain at a rally in Green Bay, Wis. "I support and endorse our speaker of the house Paul Ryan," said Trump before calling Ryan a "good man." "And we may disagree on a couple of things but mostly we agree and we're going to get it done and do a lot of wonderful things," Trump said. Trump also endorsed Sen. John McCain saying he holds the "highest esteem" for "his service to the country in uniform and public office."
MORE: Trump announces he endorses Sens. McCain and Ayotte in reelection bids, after previously declining to do so https://t.co/Uc8eiP3Onp
See original story below.
While Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump still refuses to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan's reelection bid, his running mate Mike Pence has formally thrown support behind Ryan, the Washington Postreports.
Pence called Ryan a "strong conservative leader" during a Wednesday interview on Fox News, and said that he endorsed Ryan only after discussing the matter with Trump, who allegedly "strongly encouraged" him to make the announcement.
Trump said he was giving "serious consideration" to both Ryan and Ryan's opponent Paul Nehlen, who recently defended Trump's comments in response to a fallen U.S. soldier's Muslim parents, the Washington Post reported. "I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country," Trump said. "We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I'm just not quite there yet. I'm not quite there yet."
Trump's remarks are similar to what Ryan said about endorsing Trump in a May interview. "I'm just not ready to do that at this point. I'm not there right now," Ryan said.
Trump refusing to endorse Ryan also comes after Ryan's comments against Trump and in favor of the fallen soldier's parents. In a statement Ryan said: "Many Muslim Americans have served valiantly in our military, and made the ultimate sacrifice. Captain Khan was one such brave example. His sacrifice—and that of Khizr and Ghazala Khan—should always be honored. Period."
According toThe Washington Post, Trump said he hasn't endorsed Sen. John McCain, who is also Chairman of the Senate's Armed Services Committee, because he's "always felt that he [McCain] should have done a much better job for the vets."
Like Ryan, John McCain released a statement condemning Trump's comments against the family of slain war hero:
"In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier's parents. He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States—to say nothing of entering its service. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump's statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates."
McCain also said in the statement that Trump needs to lead by example and that just because he's been named the Republican presidential nominee, he didn't have "unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us."
Last year, Trump called McCain a "dummy" and questioned whether McCain was a war hero by saying, "I like people who weren't captured."
