Paul Ryan Says He Will Vote For Donald Trump

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, arguably the most powerful Republican leader right now in politics, said in an op-ed Thursday that he will vote for Donald Trump for president.

"It’s no secret that he and I have our differences," Ryan wrote in The Gazette, his hometown newspaper based in Janesville, Wisconsin. "I won’t pretend otherwise. 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."

"A Clinton White House would mean four more years of liberal cronyism and a government more out for itself than the people it serves," Ryan wrote. "Quite simply, she represents all that our agenda aims to fix."

But after speaking with Trump, Ryan said, he believes Trump could help put that agenda into law.

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

• You can read Paul Ryan's entire op-ed here.

Ryan's endorsement ends speculation about whether he would support Trump's candidacy or not.

When Trump became the presumptive nominee in early May, Ryan said he was "not ready" to endorse Trump. After the two had a face-to-face meeting a week later, Ryan still demurred.

Image of Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore, Flickr