The GOP’s Fatal Attraction to Donald Trump may not have quite hit the point where the knife comes out, but we’re definitely past the point there Trump screams “I will not be ignored!”
In both tweets and speeches, Trump is attacking the GOP leadership, jabbing them over and over at their unwillingness to declare their unconditional love for all things Donald. After Trump’s bragging that his position as a celebrity enables him to carry out sexual assault with impunity, Ryan broke off joint appearances with Trump, but Ryan didn’t withdraw his endorsement. Last Monday, Ryan told House members they could decide for themselves whether to endorse Trump, earning him a “very weak and ineffective leader” label from Trump.
For the most part, Ryan has either deflected questions about Trump or pretended that Trump doesn't exist.
House Speaker Paul Ryan just talked to college Republicans about the 2016 election without mentioning Donald Trump’s name a single time.
Even though Ryan isn’t as silent as Mitch McConnell, who simply refuses to take any question about Trump, the House leader is still at the focus of Trump’s Twitter-ire. And Trump keeps poking … poking … poking with a series of Tweets that started on Sunday ...
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and is still going on Monday.
While Donald Trump calls leadership naive, weak, losers that leadership seems to be out to prove him right by continuing to endorse Trump even as he angles to deliberately damage his own party as well as the political process. Ryan may have given a speech without mentioning Trump directly, and McConnell might trot away at a turtle-run whenever someone mentions Trump’s name, but neither of them will disown the disaster their party has embraced.
As long as they stand there, Trump will keep punching them. And they will deserve every shot.