Paul Ryan cites party unity as major reason he's endorsing Donald Trump

Paul Ryan.
(Image credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

House Speaker Paul Ryan is explaining why, after weeks of avoiding an endorsement, he finally announced on Thursday he will vote for Donald Trump.

Ryan told The Associated Press he has friends who wanted him to support Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee, and others who hoped he wouldn't. "I really didn't feel any pressure, other than my goal is to make sure that we're unified so that we're at full strength in the fall so we can win the election," he said. His main concern, he added, is "about saving the country and preventing a third progressive, liberal term, which is what a [Hillary] Clinton presidency would do."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.