GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a town hall event on Tuesday in Janesville, Wisconsin — the home turf of House Speaker Paul D. Ryan.
Mr. Trump, on a short break from public events the past few days with the Wisconsin primary not until April 5, has touted the fact that he’s spoken by phone with Mr. Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in recent weeks.
As chairman of the GOP convention in July, Mr. Ryan has pledged to be a neutral arbiter in the proceedings. But he has also separated himself from some of Mr. Trump’s comments during the race. He recently denounced the language Mr. Trump used when the GOP front-runner said there would be “riots” at the GOP convention if he’s denied the nomination heading in with the most delegates.
Last year, Mr. Ryan also criticized Mr. Trump’s proposal to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the country in the wake of the San Bernardino terrorist attack. Earlier this year, Mr. Ryan also said candidates seeking the Republican nomination need to reject any group built on bigotry, after some said Mr. Trump didn’t sufficiently renounce the support of KKK leader David Duke in one interview.
While not naming any specific presidential candidates, Mr. Ryan also called for more civility in politics in a speech on Wednesday.
Late Wednesday, Mr. Trump escalated a back-and-forth with Sen. Ted Cruz by sharing an unflattering photo of Mr. Cruz’s wife, Heidi, on Twitter. On Thursday, Mr. Cruz responded by calling Mr. Trump a “sniveling coward.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.