GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump continued to lambaste House Speaker Paul Ryan Tuesday morning, calling the Wisconsin Republican “weak” and saying it’s nice “the shackles have been taken off” so he can run his campaign on his terms.
In a call with Republican lawmakers Monday, Ryan, who has yet to retract his endorsement of the candidate, said he will continue to work to keep the majority in the House and Senate, but won’t defend or campaign with Trump in the wake of a leaked 2005 video showing the billionaire making lewd comments about women.
Trump did not take well to the news, tweeting Monday, “Paul Ryan should spend more time on balancing the budget, jobs and illegal immigration and not waste his time on fighting Republican nominee,” leaving some fearing he is furthering the divide within the Republican party. He continued his social media attack on the speaker Tuesday, alleging Ryan is an ineffective leader and hurting his campaign.
It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016
Our very weak and ineffective leader, Paul Ryan, had a bad conference call where his members went wild at his disloyalty.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016
Despite winning the second debate in a landslide (every poll), it is hard to do well when Paul Ryan and others give zero support!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016
Ryan, known for his level temperament, remains largely out of the media in the wake of Trump’s firestorm of criticism on social media.
“Paul Ryan is focusing the next month on defeating Democrats, and all Republicans running for office should probably do the same,” a Ryan spokesman said in a statement.
The two have had a rocky relationship since the start of the 2016 election cycle. The speaker was initially hesitant to endorse the real estate mogul, condemning a number of Trump’s controversial statements and policies, including his proposal to implement a religious test for immigrants and attacks on slain Muslim soldier Capt. Humayun Khan’s family.
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