Donald Trump claims Paul Ryan doesn't want him to win because he wants to be president in 2020
House Speaker Paul Ryan is distancing himself from Donald Trump because he is thinking about his own presidential aspirations in 2020, Trump alleged in an ABC News interview Monday.
Questioning Ryan's motives, Trump implied that the speaker does not care whether he wins the White House: "Well, maybe not," Trump said, "because maybe he wants to run in four years or maybe he doesn't know how to win."
Paul Ryan through the years
"Maybe he just doesn't know how to win. I mean, who can really know. But I know I'm in his territory and they are all screaming for Trump," he added.
The Republican nominee held a campaign rally in Ryan's home state of Wisconsin on Monday in which the crowd chanted "Paul Ryan sucks" and Trump railed against what he calls "corrupt" media and a "rigged" election system — a frequent accusation the Manhattan billionaire calls out without any evidence.
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The chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party Brad Courtney later defended Ryan in a statement: "The Republican Party of Wisconsin is incredibly proud and fully supportive of Speaker Paul Ryan and the work he does for the conservative movement here in Wisconsin and across this great nation," the statement said.
Former GOP Congressmen speak out against Trump
Ryan's fraught relationship with Trump worsened following the release of a 2005 recording that showed Trump making obscene comments about groping women.
After the leak, Ryan disinvited Trump from a Wisconsin campaign event, and declared that he would no longer defend Trump against any further controversies that might emerge before Election Day.
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