House Speaker Paul Ryan gave his full-throated support to President-elect Donald Trump, calling his upset win over Hillary Clinton "the most incredible political feat I have seen in my lifetime."

Speaking to reporters in his home state of Wisconsin, Ryan, who had distanced himself from Trump in recent weeks, said he is now ready to work closely with Trump, who he credited with also helping Republicans maintain majorities in the House and Senate.

Ryan said he has spoken with Trump twice in the past 18 hours and the two are eager to work together. Ryan said he has also talked to Vice President-elect Mike Pence about transitioning into a Republican White House with an agenda coordinated with the GOP-led House and Senate.

After months of strained relations between establishment GOP and Trump's unconventional campaign, Ryan praised Trump's message and his movement, which also turned Wisconsin red for the first time since 1984.

"Donald Trump heard a voice out in this country that no one else heard," Ryan said. "He turned politics on its head and now Donald Trump will lead a unified Republican government and we will work hand-in-hand to tackle the country's big challenges."

Republicans have already written a six-part agenda that Trump has endorsed and which Ryan said "will help us hit the ground running as we work with Donald Trump to do this."

Ryan said Trump "has a mandate" to change the direction of the country, which voters clearly rejected when they chose him over Clinton after eight years of an Obama presidency.

"It showed the country that people don't like the direction we were going," Ryan said. "We in Congress, along with our nominee who is now the president-elect, offered a very clear and coherent direction as to where we should take the country and that is now the direction we are going to go."