Donald Trump praises Paul Ryan as 'like a fine wine' at Wisconsin victory rally, as crowd boos


President-elect Donald Trump took his "thank you" victory tour to West Allis, Wisconsin, on Tuesday night, and Wisconsin's Republican political leadership was there with him. Standing in front of decorated Christmas trees, Trump called Gov. Scott Walker, one of Trump's rivals for the GOP nomination, a "tough" competitor and "great governor," then pointed to House Speaker Paul Ryan, with whom Trump has had a rocky relationship.
"Speaker Paul Ryan — I've really come to — oh no! I've come to appreciate him," Trump said, as his crowd started booing. "He has been terrific, and you know, honestly, he's like a fine wine: Every day goes by, I get to appreciate his genius more and more. Now if he ever goes against me, I'm not going to say that, okay? He's a great guy, and we have some amazing things in store," saying that Ryan is going to lead the way on taxes and ObamaCare. Trump is a teetotaler, so it wasn't clear if his "fine wine" metaphor was actually a compliment, especially in beer-loving Milwaukee.
"Merry Christmas, God bless you, thank you, Wisconsin," Trump concluded, as the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" began over the loudspeaker and Walker and Ryan came out to shake Trump's hand. You can watch some highlights of the speech below. Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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