Trump on Twitter: Paul Ryan is a "weak and ineffective leader"
In a couple of Tuesday morning tweets, Donald Trump attacked Paul Ryan and the Republicans who have abandoned him. In one he tacitly acknowledged his slip in polls, saying that “it is hard to do well when Paul Ryan and others give zero support.” The other referred to “ineffective and weak leader Ryan,” who “had a bad conference call where his members went wild at his disloyalty.”
Trump has been subjected to new scrutiny following the release of a 2005 video showing the business mogul making lewd comments about women with then-“Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush. In the wake of those remarks, House Speaker Paul Ryan held a conference call on Monday in which he said he won’t defend or campaign for Trump, but instead will devote the final weeks before the election to ensuring the House retains a Republican majority. He encouraged his fellow party members to make their own decisions about supporting Trump.
“You all need to do what’s best for you in your district,” Ryan told his members. He did not say that he was rescinding his endorsement of Trump.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) also held an emergency conference call on Monday evening led by its chairman, Reince Priebus. He reassured that the committee is in full coordination with the Trump campaign, and that nothing has changed in terms of supporting the top of the ticket, the audio recordings revealed.
But that didn’t stop Trump from attacking the Republican establishment from his Twitter handle – going as so far to say that the Democratic party has “proved far more loyal to each other.”
The House Speaker’s spokesperson released the following statement after Trump’s tweets:
“Paul Ryan is focusing the next month on defeating Democrats, and all Republicans running for office should probably do the same.”
Trump now says the “shackles are off.”
After Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, rescinded his endorsement, Trump accused him of begging for his support in the primary, then dropping him over the tape.
McCain said in a statement after the tape was disclosed that “Donald Trump’s behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy.”