Washington – Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, said that he would no longer defend Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
A media report on Tuesday in Washington said that the Republican lawmakers, Ryan also said that he had no plans of campaigning with Trump before Election Day on November 8.
As speaker of the House of Representatives, Ryan is currently the most powerful Republican.
He, however, said that he would focus instead on keeping the Republican majority in the House.
Ryan added that a Republican Congress was needed to keep Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, in check if she wins.
Meanwhile, Trump has taken to the Twitter to lash out at Ryan.
Trump said that “Paul Ryan should spend more time on balancing the budget, jobs and illegal immigration and not waste his time on fighting Republican nominee.
Ryan had initially hesitated to back Trump’s presidential bid, but decided to endorse him in June.
Another report stated Trump came under mounting pressure to withdraw from the race on Saturday after explicit comments he made about groping women in a 2005 conversation were leaked to the media.
It said Trump was subsequently dis-invited from an event in Wisconsin, where he was to have been the guest of honour alongside Ryan.
The report said that Ryan appeared at the event, referring to the firestorm over Trump’s comments as the “elephant in the room.
He was quoted saying that the previous night that he was “sickened” by Trump’s vulgar comments.
(Edited by Hawa Lawal/Julius Enehikhuere)
