Donald Trump's "non-endorsement" of Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator John McCain has split political pundits around the country.
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, declined to endorse Ryan and McCain in their primary campaigns during an interview with The Washington Post.
Trump's rebuke of Ryan and McCain came as President Barack Obama charged that Trump was "unfit to serve as president" and "woefully unprepared to do this job."
Trump's controversy with Ryan and McCain reportedly angered Republican National Committee chairman Reince Preibus, according to a Wednesday Twitter post by NBC News' Katy Tur.
W. James Antle III of the Washington Examiner, though, came to Trump's defense, pointing out that Ryan's and McCain's opponents have both been stronger backers of the Republican presidential nominee.
"But there are a few things to consider here. One is that Ryan's primary challenger Paul Nehlen is a Trump supporter whose candidacy has been boosted by populist, national conservative websites like Breitbart. Kelli Ward, one of McCain's primary opponents, has also been supportive," Antle wrote.
"While McCain denounced Trump's comments about the Khans, Ward issued a statement calling the controversy a 'cynical political stunt cooked up by the Clinton Establishment, and, sadly, John McCain has fallen right into it.' Ward questioned whether McCain really wants Trump to beat Hillary Clinton in November," Antle continued.
Charles P. Pierce of Esquire wrote that Ryan, McCain, or Kelly Ayotte, a Republican senator running for re-election in New Hampshire, who Trump also criticized, deserve no sympathy.
"All three of these people deserve what they get from this towering ingrate, because they've been trying to okey-doke their way past the immutable fact that the same Republican voters that elected them are the ones that nominated a vulgar talking yam," Pierce wrote.
"… None of them deserve an ounce of sympathy, and Ryan especially deserves to lose next week, because the only reason he hasn't jumped ship on the nominee is because a Trump win is the only chance he'll get to starve granny properly," he continued.
The conservative blog stated that Trump's "non-endorsement" is likely to hurt McCain more than Ryan.
"By the way, although it’s unlikely that Trump will sink a pol as popular as Ryan in his backyard, it’s not unimaginable that his non-endorsement will sink McCain," wrote Hot Air. "Trump won Arizona this spring and Maverick's stuck in a tough Senate primary with a tough general election opponent getting ready down the line. The primary is still three weeks away too, giving Trump plenty of time to turn up the heat on McCain if he wants to."