The
political dynamics of the Republican Party’s so-called Wisconsin Mafia
have been fascinating to watch this year, but never more so than this
week.
RNC
Chairman Reince Priebus’ anger at Donald Trump over his failure to
endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is being challenged in next week
Republican primary by businessman Paul Nehlen, has to be understood in
the context of the chairman’s relationship with Ryan.
Priebus
and Ryan are both from the Badger State, and are friends. They also
both have deep connections with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
And
while Priebus has become one of Republican nominee Donald Trump’s
biggest boosters over the past several months, Ryan and Walker have been
reluctant supporters, at best.
Ryan,
before and after endorsing Trump a month ago, has repeatedly denounced
Trump’s most controversial statements. Walker, who dropped out of the
presidential race early, waffled on endorsing Trump before eventually
doing so, and in the weeks leading up to the Republican convention was
said by multiple sources to be exploring whether it was possible for him
to emerge at the convention as an alternative to Trump.
Priebus
played a crucial role in getting Ryan to overcome his reservations
about Trump. When Ryan said in May, after Trump unofficially clinched
the nomination, that he couldn’t yet support Trump, Trump called Priebus
within minutes of seeing Ryan’s comments on CNN. Priebus then called
Ryan, he later told Politico,
and he shuttled back and forth on the phone between Ryan and Trump to
arrange a meeting between the two a week later at the RNC headquarters
on Capitol Hill.
Many
observers believe that Priebus leaned heavily on Ryan and pleaded with
him to endorse Trump, for the sake of the party and as a personal favor.
Hence, Trump’s refusal now to endorse Ryan’s reelection in the
Republican primary next week would be seen by Priebus as a personal
betrayal.
Trump not only refused to endorse Ryan when asked by a Washington Post reporter
Tuesday. He also threw Ryan’s own words from May back at the speaker.
“I’m not quite there yet,” Trump said. (Trump running mate Mike Pence is
apparently there, announcing his support of Ryan on Wednesday.)
House Speaker Paul Ryan and Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican
National Committee, at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland,
July 19, 2016. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
“For
Trump to say that … was also kind of a personal shot at Reince, or at
least he would take it as personally,” said one former high-ranking RNC
official.
A current top RNC official told Yahoo News there was an element of truth to this.
“Part
of his mindset is, ‘Wait a second, dude. You’re now in my backyard. I
care about Wisconsin and Paul. I don’t see how this helps,’” the RNC
official said. Priebus does feel he “went to bat” for Trump with Ryan.
But
the RNC official also said that Priebus’ relationship with Ryan was
only part of the reason for the RNC chairman’s anger at Trump.
“It’s
a culmination of a lot of things. One, we’re trying to clean up the
Khan stuff. So it’s like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,” the RNC
official said. “No. 2, Hillary is getting crushed on lying, and we’re
having a conversation about this? There’s eight things happening at
once.”
“It’s
less about Paul and more about, I’m out there every day talking about
how we need to keep the team together, and then you go out and do this?”
the RNC official said.
Charlie
Sykes, a conservative Wisconsin radio talk show host who has been an
outspoken critic of Trump, told Yahoo News: “Reince is a friend, but I
think is a tragic figure here.”
“He’s
the guy who brokered, obviously, the deal with Ryan and with Walker,”
Sykes said, referring to Ryan and Walker’s endorsements of Trump.
“So
you can’t overstate the humiliation, the personal and political
humiliation for Reince Priebus, when Trump does this with Ryan,” Sykes
said. “This means so much to Reince. This is above politics. It’s very
personal that he wanted to unite the party, get Ryan and Trump on the
same page, get Walker.”
“He’s basically mortgaged his entire reputation and career for Donald Trump,” Sykes said of Priebus.
Trump
will campaign in Green Bay, Wis., on Friday, and while Congress is out
of session, Ryan will not appear at the rally with Trump. Neither will
the state’s Republican senator, Ron Johnson, or Walker.
“I’m 100 percent with Paul Ryan,” Walker said Wednesday.
