WASHINGTON _ Speaker Paul D. Ryan told House Republicans Monday that he will not defend GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump or campaign with him for the next 30 days, and that members should respond to controversy surrounding the billionaire in whatever way is needed to win their districts.
"You all need to do what's best for you in your district," the Wisconsin Republican told House Republicans on a conference call Monday morning, according to a source on the call.
Ryan and GOP leaders held the call to discuss the current political landscape with their caucus. National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden also spoke, the source said.
The call comes three days after The Washington Post released a video of Trump from 2005 making lewd remarks about women and asserting he can get away with grabbing their genitals and other actions because he's a celebrity.
Since the video's release more than 30 Republican lawmakers have withdrawn their support of Trump, with many calling on their party's standard-bearer to drop out of the race.
Ryan issued a statement Friday night saying he was "sickened" by the comments Trump made on the video. The speaker also disinvited Trump from a campaign event in his district Saturday, which would have marked their first public campaign appearance together.
Instead, Ryan will continue to hit the trail with House and Senate candidates. His October campaign schedule includes stops in 17 states and 42 cities, with more events being planned between now and the election.
"The speaker is going to spend the next month focused entirely on protecting our congressional majorities," Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong said following the conference call.
As to whether Ryan will maintain his endorsement of Trump, Strong said, "There is no update in his position at this time."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats have tried to link House Republicans to Trump. Speaking on CNN Sunday evening, Pelosi, D-Calif., reiterated her belief that "there's not a dime's worth of difference in terms of policy" between Trump and the lawmakers and suggested that any lawmakers' efforts to distance themselves now will fail.
"They tolerated all the trash that he dished out for a long time and now all of the sudden it's impacting their political future so they're sanctimonious about it," she said. "But as I say, they can run, they can't hide."
