Trump ramps up attacks on Paul Ryan: 'Weak and ineffective leader'

Donald Trump escalated his attacks Tuesday on House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republicans for not supporting him, tweeting that they’re holding back his campaign after a relatively successful debate performance Sunday night.

“Desite [sic] winning the second debate in a landslide (every poll), it is hard to do well when Paul Ryan and others give zero support!” Trump wrote on Twitter Tuesday morning, one day after Ryan (R-Wis.) told House Republicans that he would not campaign with and no longer defend the GOP nominee.


"Our very weak and ineffective leader, Paul Ryan, had a bad conference call where his members went wild at his disloyalty," Trump wrote in a subsequent post about an hour later, which was followed by a third tweet stating: "It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to."

The speaker’s decision to all but withdraw his endorsement of Trump was perhaps the most damaging fallout from the Republican ticket’s latest controversy, which began last Friday when The Washington Post published recordings of the Manhattan billionaire making remarkably vulgar comments about women. In the clips, recorded in 2005, Trump brags that he “did try and fuck” a married woman by taking her furniture shopping and describes how his personal fame allowed him to commit sexual assault with impunity.

“And when you’re a star they let you do it,” Trump can be heard saying on the recording. “Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”

Other Republicans, including Sen. John McCain, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Rep. Mia Love, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt have also withdrawn their support for Trump and some have called on him to resign from the top of the GOP ticket. Trump has defiantly refused though, telling the Post and the Wall Street Journal in interviews over the weekend that he would not consider dropping out.

Despite Trump’s claims, a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll out Tuesday has Hillary Clinton winning the second debate by a wide margin, with 42 percent saying Clinton won compared to Trump’s 28. Interestingly, 13 percent of Republicans said Clinton won.

In a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, conducted entirely after the release of the 2005 tape and released Monday. Hillary Clinton’s lead ballooned to 11 points in the poll, stoking fears that Trump’s struggles so close to election day could be the start of a wave that crashes not just his own White House bid, but also the GOP majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.