Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump kisses his son Eric during a campaign event at Briar Woods High School in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo: AFP)
US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump ratcheted up tensions in his party on Tuesday by denying two leading figures, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator John McCain, support in their re-election bids.
Mr Trump told The Washington Post in an interview that he could endorse neither Mr Ryan, the top US elected Republican, nor Mr McCain, a US senator from Arizona and a former Republican presidential nominee, as they face challenges in their states’ primary contests ahead of the November 8 general election.
Both Mr Ryan and Mr McCain had criticised Mr Trump’s feud with the family of Army Captain Humayun Khan, who died in the line of duty in Iraq in 2004 and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for bravery after his death.
The discord comes just two weeks after the Republican National Convention in Cleveland that formally nominated Mr Trump for President.
It is the latest rift in a party already frayed by internal dissent over its standard bearer, seen in stark relief at the convention where Mr McCain was among high-level party members who essentially snubbed Mr Trump by choosing not to attend. Mr Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, and former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush also did not attend the convention.
Mr Trump has had a running dispute with Mr Khizr and Ghazala Khan since they took the stage at last week’s Democratic convention to cite their son’s sacrifice and criticise Trump’s proposed a ban on Muslims entering the United States.
The uproar has led many Republicans to distance themselves from Mr Trump and voice support for the Khan family.
Mr Trump, mirroring the language Mr Ryan used about supporting the nominee before his eventual endorsement, told the newspaper he was “not quite there yet” on endorsing Mr Ryan in next Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary, and that he had “never been there” with Mr McCain, who will be on the ballot in primary elections in Arizona later this month. Mr McCain had a “very friendly” meeting with Mr Trump’s vice-presidential running mate, Mr Mike Pence, on Tuesday in Arizona, where Mr Pence was visiting, a McCain spokeswoman said.
Mr Trump said Mr Ryan had sought his endorsement, but that as of now he is only “giving it very serious consideration.”
Mr Ryan’s campaign office quickly responded that “neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump’s endorsement.”
“And we are confident in a victory next week regardless,” campaign spokesman Zack Roday said in a statement.
Mr Ryan is favoured to win against primary challenger Paul Nehlen, who Mr Trump praised as running “a very good campaign.” In a mid-July survey by Harper Polling, Mr Ryan was ahead of Nehlen by nearly 50 points.
Mr Trump has troubled many in the Republican establishment with his often insulting style, and controversial policies, including the proposed ba-n on Muslims.
