ITHACA, N.Y. -- Congressman Tom Reed announced Tuesday that he is endorsing Presidential candidate Donald Trump, making him the second Republican Congressman in New York to do so, reports say.

According to Syracuse.com, Reed released a statement Tuesday that states, "Now is the time to unite behind the candidate who I believe will be our nominee, Donald Trump...We must move beyond the bombastic rhetoric to positive discussion about creating jobs and improving the lives of all Americans. We all care about improving people's lives -- that should always be our focus."

Just five days ago, Reed told Time Warner Cable News that he would not be "pressured" into supporting Trump. The news outlet reported that Reed said people's re-election efforts should focus the policies they enact while representing their districts in Washington D.C. as opposed to backing presidential candidates.

"What this shouldn't be is about bullying people. This shouldn't be about trying to put pressure on people to make an endorsement," Reed told TWC News.

The comments were made in response to a mass email by former gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino, who said that politicians should support Trump if they intend on staying in politics in New York.

New York Republican Chris Collins was the first congressman to endorse Donald Trump, NPR reported.

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Collins said during an interview with NPR earlier this month, "The energy behind Mr. Trump is just off the charts. This is a rank and file movement that you're seeing, with massive turnouts from New Hampshire down to Mississippi, Alabama. I mean, his supporters are representative of the entire country."

Reed is currently being challenged for the 23rd Congressional District seat by Democrat John Plum, who was recently unanimously endorsed by the Tompkins County Democratic Committee.

Gary Perry of Waverly is also vying for the congressional seat. He said earlier this month about Reed, "He just doesn’t vote like a true conservative."

Featured photo by Michael Smith