House Speaker Paul Ryan says he isn’t “ready” to endorse Donald Trump. And Stephen Colbert wants him to know there’s nothing wrong with that.
“Now that Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee, his fellow Republicans are slowly getting behind him,” Colbert said on Tuesday. “Though some of them might be back there to push him down a flight of stairs.”
As Colbert explained, while some like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and RNC Chairman Reince Priebus have expressed support for Trump in the name of party unity, Ryan “gave his party’s nominee his full, ‘Can I get back to you?’”
“I’m not ready to do that yet,” Ryan told CNN’s Jake Tapper two days after Trump all but locked up the nomination. “I am not there right now. I hope to though, and want to.”
This Thursday, Trump and Ryan are scheduled to have a sit-down in Washington in order to hash out their differences. “But before they do, Trump is sending in his most dynamic surrogate to win Paul Ryan over: Ben Carson,” Colbert said. “Makes sense. Nobody can stay mad around Ben Carson. Or stay awake.”
On the off chance that Carson can’t persuade Ryan to back his man, Colbert decided to give the Speaker some advice.
“Hey, Paul, it’s me, Steve,” he began. “I know you’re under a lot of pressure right now to endorse Trump. And I just want to say, it’s OK to take it slow. Just because all the cool people like Ben Carson are doing it, doesn’t mean you have to.”
“You want the first time you endorse Donald Trump to be special,” he continued. “I mean, look at Chris Christie. He rushed right in to endorse, and now everywhere he goes is a walk of shame. But don’t worry, Paul. When you decide the time is finally right for you to endorse Trump, it’ll only last a minute. Just shut your eyes and think of Reagan."
“But you know what, until then, I know you’re a young, vital Speaker of the House,” Colbert concluded. “You have needs. So until you’re completely ready, maybe it’s best if you just stay home and endorse yourself.”