News / Politics

Trump says ‘not ready’ to support Ryan's agenda

Friday, 06 May 2016 1:30 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 06 May 2016 3:02 PM ]

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally May 5, 2016 in Charleston, West Virginia. (AFP photo)

Donald Trump, the US Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, says he is not ready to support House Speaker Paul Ryan’s agenda, hitting back at the Wisconsin Republican who publicly expressed doubts about the billionaire’s White House bid.

“I am not ready to support Speaker Ryan's agenda,” Trump said in a statement on Thursday.

“Perhaps in the future we can work together and come to an agreement about what is best for the American people. They have been treated so badly for so long that it is about time for politicians to put them first!” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, Ryan told CNN he is "just not ready" to back Trump’s candidacy, hours after US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he is committed to supporting Trump's presidential bid and called on fellow Republicans to do the same.

Ryan said he hopes to eventually back Trump and "to be a part of this unifying process."

“I hope to, though, and I want to,” he said. “But what is required is to unify this party. And the bulk of the burden on unifying the party will have to come from our presumptive nominee.”

On Friday, Trump continued his criticism of Ryan, denying the House speaker’s assertion that he “inherited” the Republican Party mantle.

“Paul Ryan said that I inherited something very special, the Republican Party,” Trump tweeted. “Wrong, I didn't inherit it, I won it with millions of voters!”

US House Speaker Paul Ryan laughs during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2016 at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, outside Washington, March 3, 2016. (AFP photo)

After Trump's commanding victory in Indiana's primary on Tuesday, his remaining challengers, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, both suspended their presidential bids, leaving the billionaire businessman on an uncontested path to the nomination.

In late April, Cruz and Kasich joined forces in an effort to knock Trump out of the lead in the party’s presidential primaries.

They sought to block Trump from gaining the 1,237 delegates necessary to claim the GOP nomination so that they can have a chance to earn the nomination at a contested convention.

But all those plans collapsed on Tuesday, after Trump won more than 60 percent of the votes and won all of the 57 available delegates, raising his total delegates to 1,047, according to an AP count.

On Wednesday, Trump said he would be open to making Cruz or Kasich his running mate.

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