For his part, Ryan has tried hard in recent days to distance himself from Trump. After criticizing the taped remarks, Ryan announced that Trump would no longer attend an event in Wisconsin where the two had been slated to appear. That wasn’t all: “Ryan told House Republicans on a conference call Monday morning that he’s done defending Donald Trump and will focus on maintaining his party’s increasingly imperiled House majority,” Politico reported. Crucially, though, the story noted that “Ryan stopped short of formally rescinding his endorsement of Trump.” On Tuesday, AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Ryan, confirmed that “there is no update” on the endorsement when asked if it still stands, though she added: “The speaker is going to spend the next month focused entirely on protecting our congressional majorities.”

Ryan’s actions aren’t without risk, even if he hasn’t entirely denounced Trump. Ever since he announced his endorsement in June, the speaker has gambled that voters won’t view his decision to support his party’s nominee—a man whom he has criticized many times—as evidence that he is willing to sell out his principles for politics. His latest attempt to distance himself will inevitably incite backlash from some conservative voters who feel the Republican Party hasn’t adequately supported Trump. It already appears to have incensed 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 tweeted on Tuesday morning.

The House speaker faces a difficult political calculus, and one that is different from most Republican elected officials. As the top-ranking House Republican, Ryan faces far more pressure to show loyalty to his party’s nominee than rank-and-file congressional Republicans. Now that Trump is openly feuding with Ryan, a rescinded endorsement would escalate tensions within the party—between Trump loyalists and critics, and among those worried about the future of the GOP. The ensuing chaos could depress Republican voter turnout and hurt down-ballot candidates. Yet even for that pressure, Ryan may be anxious that continuing to support Trump will imperil his reputation as a principled conservative, and along with it his political future.

And so it’s possible his support for Trump may not last. “There’s a distinct possibility Ryan will go a step further and completely yank his endorsement,” Politico reported on Tuesday, citing “sources close to him.” The story asserts that “Ryan has personally been on the edge of pulling the plug but has held out because his decision is about more than just his personal feelings: It’s about saving his massive 60-seat majority.” Ryan, Politico reports, “feels torn between his own conscience and his obligations as the top Republican in the country.”