Trump strains to fix GOP split

Associated Press

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. His timing was a bit curious, competing with the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

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 check” 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 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 even 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.”

The charges came soon after Clinton addressed her own political vulnerabilities while facing a group of minority journalists in Washington.

The former secretary of state sought to “clarify and explain” a recent statement on “Fox News Sunday” that FBI Director James Comey said her answers to the bureau about her use of a private email server were “truthful.”

“I may have short circuited and for that I will try to clarify,” Clinton said, though still insisting she “never sent or received anything that was marked classified.”

She also acknowledged many people don’t trust her.

“It doesn’t make me feel good when people say those things, and I recognize that I have work to do,” Clinton said. She added, “I’m going to work my heart out in this campaign and as president to produce results for people.”