What does Donald Trump “get” by refusing to endorse Paul Ryan?
Does he think Paul Nehlen is going to beat Paul Ryan in the Republican primary Tuesday? Paul Manafort acknowledged that outcome is extremely unlikely.
Does he think he’s bringing Ryan to heel? The problem is that Ryan doesn’t need Trump’s endorsement to win his primary or the general election, and close ties to Trump could even be a liability for Ryan in Wisconsin. Trump is demonstrating his lack of influence over Ryan.
All Trump gets out of this fight is a lot of news stories about divisions between Ryan and Trump from now until Tuesday. And then, unless Paul Nehlen pulls off the biggest upset since Dave Brat (or, let’s say, comes close), Trump looks like a loser. He effectively backed the wrong horse, further alienated Ryan, and created an entirely unnecessary distraction for his campaign.
What Trump gets is revenge for Ryan’s delayed, reluctant, half-hearted endorsement from earlier this year. Trump’s decision to echo Ryan’s words, “I’m just not quite there yet” is a clear indicator that the mogul thinks he’s giving the Speaker of the House a taste of his own medicine.
Perhaps this course of action gives Trump deep emotional satisfaction here. But right now, trailing consistently and lacking a lot of allies, Trump needs a lot more than emotional satisfaction.