Speaker Paul Ryan Climbs Aboard the Trump Train

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., left, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, right. (Photos: AP/Getty Images)

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., finally climbed aboard the Trump Train on Thursday, saying he would vote for presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. The announcement, which came in the form of a column in the speaker’s hometown paper the Gazette, is one his office said amounts to an endorsement.

I’ll be voting for @realDonaldTrump this fall. I’m confident he will help turn the House GOP’s agenda into laws. https://t.co/LyaT16khJw

— Paul Ryan (@PRyan) June 2, 2016

The two men and Republican leaders have had a tenuous relationship at times, with Speaker Ryan making the unprecedented move to denounce Trump’s proposal to temporarily ban Muslim migrants, a plan that led to the House voting to halt Syrian refugee program. Ryan was also the running mate for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has been one of the most vocal and unwelcome critics of the party’s choice for president.

But he ultimately touted his confidence in Mr. Trump’s willingness and ability to pass the “confident America” policy agenda, something Speaker Ryan has been developing since he became speaker of the GOP-controlled House of Representatives last fall.

Donald Trump and I have talked at great length about things such as the proper role of the executive and fundamental principles such as the protection of life. The list of potential Supreme Court nominees he released after our first meeting was very encouraging.

But the House policy agenda has been the main focus of our dialogue. We’ve talked about the common ground this agenda can represent. We’ve discussed how the House can be a driver of policy ideas. We’ve talked about how important these reforms are to saving our country. And we’ve talked about how, by focusing on issues that unite Republicans, we can work together to heal the fissures developed through the primary.

Through these conversations, I feel confident he [Mr. Trump] would help us turn the ideas in this agenda into laws to help improve people’s lives. That’s why I’ll be voting for him this fall.

In a tweet posted to social media following the submission, his office spokesman clarified Speaker Ryan’s intent.

We're not playing word games, feel free to call it an endorsement.

— Brendan Buck (@BrendanBuck) June 2, 2016

“It’s no secret that he and I have our differences. I won’t pretend otherwise,” Speaker Ryan wrote. “And when I feel the need to, I’ll continue to speak my mind. But the reality is, on the issues that make up our agenda, we have more common ground than disagreement.”