Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has not offered an endorsement to two members of his party facing primary challenges this year: House Speaker Paul Ryan and Arizona Sen. John McCain, The Washington Post reports.
Ryan himself took some time before endorsing Trump, even after it was apparent he would be the party's nominee. Trump appears to be returning the favor, mimicking Ryan's own language when asked by the Post about backing him.
Asked about endorsing Trump by CNN in May, Ryan said, "I'm just not ready to do that at this point. I'm not there right now." He did later endorse the nominee, though he has continued to disagree with Trump over issues such as banning Muslim immigration.
When Trump was asked whether he would endorse Ryan, he said, "I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country. 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."
Trump, has on the other hand, offered praise for Ryan's opponent, Paul Nehlen, saying he is running "a very good campaign," and that while Ryan has asked for his endorsement, he is currently merely "giving it very serious consideration."
Trump may also have been rewarding Nehlen for defending him while Ryan and others distanced themselves from Trump's attacks on the parents of a Muslim American Army captain who died in the Iraq War in 2004.
But Trump told the Post Tuesday that Nehlen "sent me a nice letter and I merely thanked him."
Nehlen "is a big fan of what I’m saying — big fan," Trump said. "[Ryan's] opponent, who's running a very good campaign, obviously, I've heard — his opponent sent me a very scholarly and well thought out letter yesterday and all I did was say thank you very much for your very nice letter. You saw my statement."
On Tuesday night, Ryan's spokesman released a statement that said the Wisconsin Republican had never sought Trump's endorsement.
"Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump's endorsement," said Zack Roday, Ryan's campaign spokesman. "And we are confident in a victory next week regardless."
McCain, whose war hero status Trump questioned early in the campaign, denounced Trump over the incident with Gold Star parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan.
"I haven't endorsed John McCain," Trump said when asked about the senator's rebuke.
"I've never been there with John McCain because I've always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets, Trump said. "He has not done a good job for the vets and I’ve always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets. So I’ve always had a difficult time with John for that reason, because our vets are not being treated properly. They’re not being treated fairly."
Trump also mentioned New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who has spoken out against him comment on the Khans.
"You have a Kelly Ayotte who doesn’t want to talk about Trump, but I'm beating her in the polls by a lot," he said. "You tell me. Are these people that should be representing us, okay? You tell me."
Trump said Ayotte has given him "zero support," but he still is doing well in New Hampshire.