Donald Trump issued a surprise series of endorsements at a campaign event on Friday night. Speaking in Green Bay, the GOP presidential nominee formally voiced his support for Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Sen. John McCain, and Sen. Kelly Ayotte.
Trump’s decision comes just three days after he declined to endorse Ryan, telling the Washington Post that he was “not quite there yet”—a statement eerily similar to Ryan’s reluctance to endorse Trump in May. It took the congressman a full month to come around to his party’s nominee.
The presidential hopeful’s swift change of heart was so unexpected that Ryan wasn’t even in attendance for Trump’s proclamations in his home state. Neither were McCain or Ayotte, both of whom face tough reelection bids in Arizona and Nevada, respectively.
Regarding, Ryan’s endorsement, Trump had this to say about his change of heart:
“We will have disagreements but we will disagree as friends and never stop working together toward victory. And very importantly, toward real change. So, in our shared mission to make America great again, I support and endorse our speaker of the House Paul Ryan.”
Trump’s endorsement of McCain and Ayotte was similar in tone. It’s clear that party unity is on the mind of the GOP as it eyes down-ticket races leading up to the general election.
“I need a Republican Senate and House to accomplish all of the changes that we have to make. We have to make them. I understand and embrace the wisdom of Ronald Reagan’s big tent within the party,” Trump stated.
As of this writing, Ryan, Ayotte, and McCain have yet to respond to Trump’s endorsements.
H/T Washington Post