Donald Trump on Friday night endorsed House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) in his Republican primary after he was criticized for declining to do so earlier in the week.
“In our shared mission to make America great again, I support and endorse our Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan,” Trump said at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. “He’s a good man, and he’s a good guy.”
“And we may disagree on a couple of things, but mostly we agree, and we’re gonna get it done. We’re going to do a lot of wonderful things,” he added.
The Republican nominee also endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) after hesitating to back them as well.
He said that he holds McCain “in the highest esteem” for “his service to our country in uniform and in public office.” This comes after Trump once said McCain was not a war hero because he “was captured.” Trump called Ayotte a “rising star.”
Trump’s string of endorsements were a surprising move for the Republican nominee, who typically does not back down. But he was criticized by his own campaign surrogates for his comments this week, and Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus was reportedly very upset that Trump refused to endorse Ryan.
