Pence endorses Ryan, despite Trump's refusal
Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence said today he is endorsing House Speaker Paul Ryan's re-election bid, even though presidential candidate Donald Trump refused to do so yesterday.
"I talked to Donald Trump this morning about my support for Paul Ryan and our longtime friendship," Pence said Wednesday on Fox News, "and he strongly encouraged me to endorse Paul Ryan in next Tuesday’s primary, and I’m pleased to do it."
Pence's support puts him at odds with Trump, whose resistance further exposed the divide between establishment Republicans and the party's wild-card presidential nominee.
Despite the rift, Pence told Fox News the Trump campaign is "totally focused on strengthening America at home and abroad."
"Donald Trump has a vision. He has the candor. He has the personal courage to be able to drive this nation forward, and we also have to do our part to make sure the American people understand the disastrous record of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama," Pence said.
Pence's endorsement will likely help the Indiana governor preserve his strong ties with Ryan and other congressional GOP leaders, despite their friction with the man at the top of the ticket.
Maintaining those relationships could be important for Pence if Trump wins in November, because the billionaire businessman has suggested he'll depend on his vice president to help him navigate Capitol Hill. And even if Trump loses, a strong relationship with Ryan and other GOP leaders would likely be important to Pence, who has considered a presidential run of his own and has his own political future to think about.
Trump declined on Tuesday to endorse Ryan or Sen. John McCain in their respective primaries.
“I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country,” Trump said in an interview with The Washington Post. “We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I’m just not quite there yet. I’m not quite there yet.”
Ryan initially refused to endorse Trump but later did. The pair have had a rocky relationship since then.
But Ryan cheered Trump's decision to tap Pence as his running mate last month, a selection widely seen as an olive branch to conservatives.
“Our VP nominee Mike Pence is a man of faith, a man of conviction and a man you can trust," Ryan said on Twitter. "Gov. Pence and I have been friends for many years. He’ll bring real conservative change to Washington."
In addition to endorsing Ryan, Pence met with McCain for about 25 minutes on Tuesday during a campaign stop in Arizona.
“The governor and senator have enjoyed a long and productive relationship from their overlapping tenures in the United States Congress," Marc Lotter, a Pence campaign spokesman, said in a statement. "The two leaders discussed many issues facing the United States and the need for strong American leadership to defeat radical Islamic terrorism and ISIS.”
Call IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter: @indystartony.
Call IndyStar reporter Chelsea Schneider at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyStarChelsea.
Diverging from Pence's message, Trump says debt will rise 'no matter who' wins presidency
In new ad, former Gov. Joe Kernan calls Donald Trump unfit to be president
