Donald Trump endorsed House Speaker Paul Ryan on Friday because "it was more for Donald Trump today than it ever was for Paul Ryan," political commentator Michael Reagan said.
"Donald Trump needed to endorse Paul Ryan," the eldest son of former President Ronald Reagan told Don Lemon on CNN. "Paul Ryan didn't need that endorsement.
"But the reason he had to endorse Paul Ryan is because without Paul Ryan's district in Wisconsin, if Donald Trump doesn't win that district, he does not win Wisconsin in November."
Citing the need for GOP unity in defeating Hillary Clinton in November, Trump endorsed Ryan, Arizona Sen. John McCain and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte in their re-election bids.
He told The Washington Post on Tuesday that he would not support Ryan — who represents Wisconsin — and McCain and slammed Ayotte for disloyalty, despite winning her state in the primaries.
Reagan told Lemon that Trump "shouldn't have withheld his endorsement to begin with" and tied it back to the speaker's reluctant support of the nominee in May.
"It all goes back to the Paul Ryan lack of endorsement a month or so ago when he was trying to one-up Paul Ryan.
"This is the problem with Donald Trump: He always does something to put himself on the front pages and then gripes the fact the media is not covering Hillary Clinton.
"I think the media would cover Hillary Clinton more if Donald Trump spent less time trying to be on the front pages of newspaper and the lead story in many of the news stories that come out," Reagan said.
In his announcement in Green Bay, Wis., Trump cited Ronald Reagan's "big tent" vision for the Republican Party that he shared in 1967.
"I understand and embrace the wisdom of Ronald Reagan's big tent within the party," Trump said "He included Reagan Democrats and independents and Republicans.
"We're going to have the same thing."
Michael Reagan noted how Trump read closely from his text in those remarks.
"It was pretty rough for him to be able to get that out," he told Lemon, laughing. "Somebody must have drilled it into his head.
"Ronald Reagan didn't spend the campaign burning down half the tent to make it a bigger opportunity," he added. "He kept trying to fill that tent.
"I think it's great to mention my father."
Michael Reagan's new book is "Lessons My Father Taught Me: The Strength, Integrity, and Faith of Ronald Reagan."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.