GOP bigwigs might be boarding the #TrumpTrain at an alarming rate, but Speaker of the House Paul Ryan says he’ll hold off on making any formal endorsements until Donald Trump can prove he’s conservative enough to head the party.
Ryan isn’t willing to hop on the #NeverTrump bandwagon just yet, though. As he told Jake Tapper, he’s just skeptical, particularly because Trump’s economic plan—which is Paul Ryan’s forte—is hard to nail down. One day, Trump seems willing to embrace even the most laissez-faire aspects of the laissez-faire economy; the next day Trump is embracing trade embargoes and minimum wage hikes.
But Trump isn’t likely to roll out a comprehensive economic platform any time soon —and it’s even less likely that a Trump economic plan will please the libertarian-leaning Ryan. It’s possible Ryan’s hesitation has another angle:
With Trump at the top of the ticket, House Republicans, who all face re-election in the fall, might have a harder time keeping their seats. If Paul Ryan leads the way with an endorsement, they’ll be running in partnership with Trump, and Ryan might want to make absolutely sure that won’t cost them the majority before he makes his support public.
The Donald’s response to the Republican leader’s lack of endorsement was vintage Trump: “I am not ready to support Speaker Ryan’s agenda,” he fired back.