Trump refuses to back off Ryan attacks In the closing weeks of the presidential race, the Republican nominee is focused on his war with fellow Republicans.

Donald Trump is refusing to call a cease-fire in his war of words with Paul Ryan, suggesting that the House speaker is putting his own presidential ambitions ahead of the party’s efforts to reclaim the White House next month.

In the days before the final presidential debate that could prove to be the last, best chance for Trump to stabilize his free-falling campaign, the Republican nominee and his allies are still proving to be distracted by the House speaker and the so-called establishment.


Trump’s latest dig at the Republican leader is that he’s perhaps rooting for the Republican nominee’s downfall because he’s blinded by his own 2020 vision.

Asked on Ryan’s turf in Wisconsin whether he thought the GOP leader wants Trump to defeat Hillary Clinton, Trump answered, “Well, maybe not because maybe he wants to run in four years or maybe he doesn't know how to win.”

“Maybe he doesn't just know how to win.” Trump added in the interview with ABC’s Tom Llamas conducted Monday but broadcast Tuesday.

Trump expressed his disappointment in Republican leaders again Tuesday during a radio interview with conservative radio host Mike Gallagher and seemed to relish his supporters in Wisconsin “booing like crazy” at the mention of conservative leaders.

“It’s incredible. Honestly, the leadership of the Republican Party has been very, very — it’s been a very sad situation,” he said.

Trump hailed his base of voters, but in terms of party leadership, “Boy, I’ll tell you, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” he lamented, going on to question Ryan’s judgment for believing in the integrity of the election.

“How could he say the election is — look, nothing’s perfect. But this process is unbelievable, and it’s certainly rigged with the press,” Trump argued. “So why would he issue a memo that the election’s not — is he naïve? Because that’s naiveté — or maybe something worse than that.”

Trump ally and Fox News host Sean Hannity has also escalated his attacks, essentially blaming Ryan and a fractured Republican Party for what’s shaping up to be a defeat at the top of the ticket.

During a segment with conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, Hannity late Monday accused Ryan and the establishment of “stabbing” Trump in the back and “sabotaging” his campaign. He added that he’s “lost a lot of respect for” Ryan and others like him because they’ve spent more time criticizing Trump than talking about issues like the Supreme Court and the need for a border wall.

“Why isn’t Paul Ryan talking about that? I think in 23 days — win, lose or draw — we need a long conversation about whether or not he should be speaker of the House,” he said, echoing a remark Trump made to Fox News host Bill O'Reilly. Hannity later credited Ryan and Republicans’ weaknesses and broken promises for spawning Trump.

For her part, Ingraham advised Republicans not to grouse when Clinton is elected. “Don’t complain about anything because when you could have worked to stop her, you were dumping all over Trump every chance you got or sitting on the sidelines and hoping secretly and texting your friends, ‘Aha, Trump’s behind,’” she said. “I don't wanna hear from any of these people. If Hillary Clinton wins this, God help our country, but don't complain when you spent most of your time going after Donald Trump.”

Trump’s war with Ryan flared anew after the Wisconsin Republican told the House GOP conference he would no longer support or defend Trump — a decision to focus on protecting the House majority while tacitly conceding a Clinton victory in the wake of a damaging 2005 “Access Hollywood” video in which Trump is heard talking cavalierly about forcibly kissing and groping women with impunity.

The tape, coupled with subsequent accusations from a number of women who have alleged that Trump made unwanted advances at them over a span of decades, has sunk his standing nationally, in battleground states and among women.

Trump has managed to turn a Republican stronghold like Utah into a possible swing state that could vote blue this year, and a batch of Quinnipiac University polls released Monday shows Clinton edging out her opponent in Colorado, Florida and Pennsylvania while the two are tied in Ohio.

Trump’s nosedive is even causing conservative super PACs to spend big on House races in districts that weren’t in play just a month ago, including Rep. Mia Love’s district in Utah. His free fall has sparked an effort to build a firewall to stop Democrats from retaking the House.

Ryan’s office refuted Trump’s unsubstantiated claim of a rigged election, but the speaker has been largely silent with Trump in recent days. His office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

In retaliation to being ditched by the highest elected Republican, Trump called Ryan a “very weak and ineffective leader” and claimed “there’s a whole sinister deal going on” with Ryan and the Republican establishment. On Monday morning, he criticized GOP leaders who have broken with his claims of a “rigged” election — of which there is no evidence — as “[s]o naïve!” Minutes later, he called for unity, tweeting: “We have all got to come together and win this election. We can't have four more years of Obama (or worse!).”

On Monday night, though, he seemed to take the high road — at least initially.

“Well, I don't want to be knocking Paul Ryan,” Trump said when asked if the speaker is hurting or helping his campaign. “I think he could be more supportive to the Republican nominee.”

But he also appeared to be in a different world — one in which Clinton’s polling leads are inverted.

“We’re doing well,” he said. “I think we’re gonna win the election.”

Trump, however, did tweet one poll in his favor. He retweeted a supporter Tuesday morning who cited a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll: “’@THEREALMOGUL: 41% of American voters believe the election could be ‘stolen’ from DonaldTrump due to widespread voter fraud. – Politico.’”