House Speaker Paul Ryan’s speech to the Ohio delegation this morning included a muted call for Ohio and the rest of the country to unify behind Donald Trump.
Ryan dwelled more on tax policy and football than on the presidential campaign. But in the end – literally the last sentence of his speech – he brought it all together and uttered Donald Trump’s name for the first time.
“We’re all on the same team. We all want the same thing. Voting for anybody but Donald Trump means you’re voting for Hillary Clinton. It’s as easy as that.”
Ohio’s delegation has been among the most reserved about Trump as the party’s standard-bearer. Diane Mesnick doesn’t understand all the hesitation. She’s an honorary delegate, here from Mahoning County and says she’s tickled with Trump.
“I just feel like the average politician basically says what they want their constituents to hear, and we get sucker punched into voting for them. And when they get there, it’s all about what the lobbyists want, what the big money wants. It’s all about money."
She believes Trump’s wealth would exempt him from that.
Ohio’s delegation has talked a lot about unity – but it’s focused on the re-election of Ohio Sen. Rob Portman.
