Trump Challenges Paul Ryan After Announcement

Trump Challenges Paul Ryan After Announcement
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump arrives at RNC headquarters for a meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), and House Republicans in Washington on July 7, 2016. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Jack Phillips
10/10/2016
Updated:
10/10/2016

Donald Trump lashed out at Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan on Monday after Ryan called on members of the GOP to instead focus on their own elections.

In a conference call, Ryan told fellow Republicans that he will no longer defend Trump and will instead use the next 29 days of the election cycle to focus on maintaining his party’s hold on the House and Senate.

“The speaker is going to spend the next month focused entirely on protecting our congressional majorities,” Ryan’s spokeswoman, AshLee Strong, told CNN on Monday, referring to the conference call in which Ryan told his fellow lawmakers that “you all need to do what’s best for you and your district.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan leaves the podium after addressing the media inside the Armory in Janesville, Wis., following his defeat of Paul Nehlen in Wisconsin's primary on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016. (Anthony Wahl/The Janesville Gazette via AP)
House Speaker Paul Ryan leaves the podium after addressing the media inside the Armory in Janesville, Wis., following his defeat of Paul Nehlen in Wisconsin's primary on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016. (Anthony Wahl/The Janesville Gazette via AP)

After the leak, a number of high-profile Republicans attempted to distance themselves from the Republican nominee.

Sources told NPR that Ryan, who represents a district in Wisconsin, will now make campaign stops in 17 states and 42 cities in an attempt to protect Republican majorities in Congress. More stops could be planned.

His spokesperson told the broadcaster that Ryan has “no update in his position at this time” on the possibly of retracting his endorsement of Trump.

A person who listened to the conference call said some Republicans were angered by Ryan’s decision—claiming he essentially has conceded to Clinton.

However, Ryan spokesman Zack Roday told the CNN that the speaker “made it clear on the call he’s not conceding the presidential race.”

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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