Pence: Trump, Ryan "still getting to know each other"
With just over 90 days before the election, the Republican nominee for president and republican Speaker of the House are still working on their relationship, according to Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
Pence called into WTMJ's Midday with Charlie Sykes and attempted to explain away the seemingly disjointed levels of support for Ryan coming from the Trump campaign. The Republican vice presidential nominee, who served with Ryan in Congress for twelve years, told Sykes that he considers Ryan and his family among his closest friends.
He described Donald Trump's endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan on Friday night at a rally in Green Bay as "an unqualified expression of support" and explained that their troubles over the last week -- Trump has initially refused to endorse Ryan -- amounted to nothing more than simple growing pains.
"Early in the week it was just reflective of the fact that these two men are still getting to know each other. I mean, at the end of the day, even in politics it takes a little bit of time for people to get to know each other" Pence told Sykes, adding, "I think you are going to see that relationship personally and politically grow stronger everyday".
Ryan is expected to win his primary against Paul Nehlen, an enthusiastic Trump backer, tomorrow in Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district.
Pence, increasingly playing the role of Trump's nice guy on the campaign trail, called into Sykes this afternoon to "open lines of communication" between Sykes and the Trump campaign. Sykes has been unwavering in his criticism of Trump throughout the race, which is an issue for the campaign in an important rust-belt state like Wisconsin, where Sykes is an influential broadcaster.
Wisconsin presents several challenges for Trump in the fall, particularly with getting Republicans in the state on board.
The primary in April was Trump's last significant loss before becoming the presumptive nominee. Current polling, meanwhile, suggests that Republicans in the Badger State - including Sykes - have yet to totally warm up to the nominee, with just 80 percent saying they support Trump as of July, according to a Marquette University survey.