US House Speaker not ready to back Trump

Washington, May 6: US House Speaker Paul Ryan, the highest-ranking elected Republican official of the nation has said that he is “not ready” yet to back his party’s presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump.

“I’m just not ready to do that at this point. I’m not there right now,” Ryan told CNN in an interview.

Ryan’s stunning statement had its immediate ripple effect inside the party and might have lasting impact on Trump’s presidential ambitions, if the division within the Republican establishment are not sorted out soon. Ryan said the onus for uniting the party now lies on Trump, who after his Indiana primary win and withdrawal from the race by the two opponents — Ted Cruz and John Kasich — is the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican party.

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

Trump said that he was surprised by Paul Ryan’s rebuff of him as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. “He talks about unity but what is this about unity?” he said in a nationally broadcast interview. “With millions of people coming into the party, obviously I'm saying the right thing.”

— PTI