Donald Trump looks out on the crowd gathered for his campaign rally Friday in Green Bay, Wis. | AP Photo Donald Trump endorses Paul Ryan, John McCain The GOP nominee vows to be a 'big tent' Republican like Ronald Reagan. 
 
 Republican nominee Donald Trump endorsed Paul Ryan at his Friday night rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, just days after rattling the GOP by withholding his support for the House speaker in his primary. 
 
 "In our shared mission to make America great again, I support and endorse our Speaker of the House Paul Ryan," Trump said, stressing the need for party unity as he read from a set of notes on his podium. “We need unity. We have to win this election. This is truly one of the most important elections in my lifetime." 
 
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 Acknowledging the need to work with Congress to accomplish his agenda, Trump went on to endorse Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, both of whom he also had pointedly declined to endorse in recent interviews. 
 
 “While I’m at it, I hold in the highest esteem Sen. John McCain for his service to our country in uniform and in public office and I fully support and endorse his reelection," Trump said. 
 
 Trump, who previously criticized McCain for being captured as a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War, enraged Republican Party officials earlier this week when he refused to endorse some of the party's leading lights. On Friday, citing Republican icon and former President Ronald Reagan, Trump reversed his position, stressing the need to bring back the GOP's "big tent." 
 
 “I need a Republican Senate and a House to accomplish all of the changes that we have to make,” the New York billionaire said. “So I embrace the wisdom that my 80 percent friend is not my 20 percent enemy.” 
 
 Praising Ayotte as "a rising star" in the GOP, Trump touted the virtues of party unity. 
 
 “Working hand-in-hand we will grow our majority in the House and in the Senate,” he said. “Arm-in-arm we will rescue the nation from the Obama-Clinton disaster that has bled our country dry and spread terrorism unabated across the world.” 
 
 Ryan is expected to easily defeat his challenger, Paul Nehlen, but Trump’s hesitation to endorse the GOP's congressional leader raised new concerns this week as the party looked to project a unified front following the Republican National Convention. 
 
 In an interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday, Trump said he was “not quite there yet” in supporting Ryan or McCain in their respective primaries. 
 
 “I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country,” Trump told the Post. “We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I’m just not quite there yet. I’m not quite there yet.” 
 
 The interview, which prompted an angry phone call to top Trump officials from RNC chair Reince Priebus, came a day after the GOP nominee thanked Ryan’s primary opponent on Twitter for his “kind words.” 
 
 In a statement released in anticipation of Trump's announcement Friday, Nehlen praised Trump's leadership while claiming that his reluctance to endorse the House speaker "sent a clear signal to Wisconsin voters that Ryan is not his preferred candidate in this race." 
 
 “Given his stature as our party’s official nominee, Mr. Trump’s decision to support the Republican Speaker is appropriate and is a display of true leadership,” Nehlen said. “Unlike Speaker Ryan, Mr. Trump has made clear that this election is not about himself and is not about advancing his own personal agenda.” 
 
 The Trump campaign had claimed earlier this week that its policy was not to endorse in Republican primaries, even though he had previously endorsed North Carolina Rep. Renee Ellmers, who lost her seat in June after her district was redrawn. Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, has also endorsed Ryan. 
 
 Ryan, meanwhile, endorsed Trump as the Republican nominee in June, but the two haven’t always seen eye-to-eye. Ryan and many other top Republican leaders pushed back as Trump feuded with the parents of a Muslim-American Army captain killed in Iraq. Ryan said the family’s sacrifice should always be honored. 
 
 Earlier on Friday, Ryan said his endorsement of Trump was not a “blank check” and that there was “of course” a point at which he could rescind his support, though he did not specify what that point might be. He added that he has not spoken to Trump since the convention and has no current plans to do so. 
 
 “I did say very clearly, privately and publicly, that if I hear things that I think distort conservatism, that disfigure our principles and our values as Republicans, I’m going to speak out and defend ourselves so that people in this country don’t get a mixed perception about who we are and what we believe in,” Ryan said in a radio interview in Milwaukee. “And I’ve had to do that from time to time, more than I certainly wanted to, like attacking Gold Star parents. So obviously, I’ve done that and I’m going to continue to do that if necessary. Where that line gets crossed, I don’t know where that is, if that is.” 
 
 Ryan, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Sen. Ron Johnson did not attend Trump's Green Bay rally, citing other obligations. Nehlen, however, tweeted that he was in the crowd. ||||| (Clockwise from top left) Paul Ryan, Donald Trump, Ron Johnson and Scott Walker (Photo: Wire services) 
 
 Madison — Wisconsin’s top three Republicans are skipping Donald Trump’s visit to Green Bay. 
 
 The billionaire GOP presidential nominee's trip to the Badger State is coming just days after he declined to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan and praised Ryan's primary opponent, Paul Nehlen. 
 
 On Wednesday, Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, told Fox News he was backing Ryan in next week's Republican primary. He said he was doing so in part at the behest of Trump. 
 
 Also Wednesday, Gov. Scott Walker made clear where he stood in the feud between Trump and Ryan. 
 
 "I'm 100% with Paul Ryan," Walker said in a brief interview in a state Capitol hallway. 
 
 Walker, Ryan and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson are all taking a pass on appearing with Trump on Friday. 
 
 Walker will be viewing flood damage in northern Wisconsin. Ryan plans to be in the southern part of the state, where his district is. And Johnson has "prior commitments," according to his spokesman. 
 
 All three have backed Trump but distanced themselves from many of his controversial comments. 
 
 Walker campaign spokesman Joe Fadness left open the possibility the governor would attend future Trump events. Walker spoke at a Waukesha rally last week with Pence. 
 
 "As always, Governor Walker will participate in future political events for Mr. Trump provided they don't interfere with his work for the citizens of Wisconsin, as he did when Governor Pence visited Waukesha a week ago,” Fadness said in a statement. 
 
 Johnson, who faces a challenge from former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, hasn't announced where he will be on Friday. 
 
 Johnson's spokesman, Brian Reisinger, said Johnson will be working to help Republicans "up and down the ballot." 
 
 While other Republicans were dodging the Trump event, state Sen. Frank Lasee of De Pere said he was going. 
 
 Lasee is running to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble, who has been critical of Trump for months. Lasee faces former Walker adviser Mike Gallagher in the Republican primary on Tuesday. 
 
 Gallagher won't be at the Trump rally and will instead attend a previously scheduled event in Shawano County, according to a spokeswoman for Gallagher. 
 
 Rep. Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield), a captain in the U.S. Army Reserves and Iraq War veteran, said Wednesday that he couldn’t endorse Trump. 
 
 Kooyenga said he was disturbed by Trump’s aggressive response to the Khan family, saying that the sacrifices of soldiers and their families should be treated with "reverence and respect and humility." Trump has criticized Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of fallen Gold Star Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who appeared at the Democratic National Convention last week. Trump implied that Ghazala Kahn may not have been allowed to speak because of her religion. 
 
 “We’re looking for statesmen, not politicians,” Kooyenga said. 
 
 Christian Schneider: A vote against Trump is a vote for sanity 
 
 A bone-deep understanding of the losses that come with war is one component to being an effective commander in chief, he said, citing past presidents who wrestled with the toll on their troops. 
 
 “Look at history. Look at Abraham Lincoln,” Kooyenga said, pointing to the author of the Gettysburg Address. 
 
 Philip Shulman, a spokesman for the state Democratic Party, said voters should get used to Republicans claiming they have scheduling conflicts when Trump comes around. 
 
 "It's no surprise Wisconsin Republicans are running as fast as they can from Donald Trump's horrendous economic agenda and deeply concerning history of fraudulent and exploitive business dealings," he said in a statement. 
 
 Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://on.jsonl.in/2aCbDHO ||||| Donald Trump Donald TrumpMisreading lessons of an evolving electorate Trump boasts over victory of GOP candidate in Georgia Trump Jr. mocks Dems after Georgia special House election MORE endorsed Paul Ryan Paul RyanEXCLUSIVE: Blue Dog Democrats meet with top Trump aides on tax reform Dem who launched bid against Paul Ryan raises 100k in first day of campaign Ossoff concedes Georgia race: 'This is the beginning of something much bigger' MORE on Friday night, after refusing to back the speaker’s reelection bid earlier this week. 
 
 "This campaign is not about me or any one candidate, it’s about America," Trump said, although he did not immediately launch into his message of support. 
 
 “I understand and embrace the wisdom of Ronald Reagan’s big tent within the party,” he continued, acknowledging that he’ll need support in the House and Senate to get his agenda accomplished if elected. "So I embrace the wisdom that my 80 percent friend is not my 20 percent enemy." 
 
 After a few minutes, Trump then uttered the magic words: "In our shared mission to make America great again, I support and endorse our Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan." 
 
 The mogul’s backing came at a rally in Green Bay, Wis., less than a week before Ryan faces a primary challenger whom has Trump praised, though Ryan appears to have little to worry about in the Tuesday race with businessman Paul Nehlen. 
 
 A new independent poll released on Friday showed Ryan leading Nehlen 80 percent to 14 percent. And ahead of Friday evening's endorsement, Nehlen released a statement praising Trump's "display of leadership" -- and slamming Ryan's failure to unify the GOP. 
 
 W/Trump expected 2 endorse Ryan tonight, challenger Nehlen calls it a "true display of leadership" in stmt. More: pic.twitter.com/gmV8XGVQSH — Alexandra Jaffe (@ajjaffe) August 5, 2016 
 
 Though Trump endorsed him, it was reported that Ryan, Gov. Scott Walker and other top Wisconsin Republicans decided not to appear with the GOP nominee on Friday evening. 
 
 But Nehlen tweeted that he was there to support the party's nominee. 
 
 Attending the @RealDonaldTrump rally in Green Bay tonight in support of our party's nominee and his agenda! #MAGA #WI01 #ElectNehlen — Paul Nehlen (@pnehlen) August 5, 2016 
 
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 The endorsement of Ryan follows days of mounting criticism from GOP leaders, after Trump refused Tuesday to say he'd support Ryan or Sen. 
 
 “I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country,” the GOP presidential nominee told The Washington Post. "We need very strong leadership ... and I’m just not quite there yet. I’m not quite there yet.” 
 
 Trump's language was an apparent allusion to a May interview, conducted right after Trump became the party's presumptive nominee, in which Ryan said he was not ready to support him for president. 
 
 “To be perfectly candid with you ... I’m just not ready to do that at this point,” the Speaker said at the time. 
 
 The endorsement is a sign that the GOP nominee’s campaign is working to right the ship after a rough two weeks. 
 
 In the Tuesday interview, Trump also declined to offer support for McCain and vulnerable Sen. Kelly Ayotte Kelly AyotteOPINION: Democracy will send ISIS to the same grave as communism Kelly Ayotte joins defense contractor's board of directors Week ahead: Comey firing dominates Washington MORE (N.H.) — both of whom have distanced themselves from the mogul. 
 
 On Friday, Trump reversed course, saying he fully supports their reelection bids too. 
 
 It all follows a tense period between the nominee and leaders of his party. 
 
 Trump became the center of a firestorm during the Democratic convention last week, when he called on Russian agents to obtain the 30,000 missing messages Hillary Clinton Hillary Rodham ClintonBiden leaves options on table for another White House bid Misreading lessons of an evolving electorate Trump heads to heartland for tech push MORE deleted from her private email server. Critics charged he was inviting a hostile foreign power to steal sensitive information, and his comments set off a round of scrutiny over his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 
 
 He stumbled again by picking a fight with the parents of Capt. Humayun Khan, a Muslim-American soldier who was killed in the line of duty in Iraq in 2004. 
 
 Khan’s father criticized Trump pointedly during a speech at the Democratic convention and the candidate shocked Republican lawmakers and strategists by firing back at the Khan family, instead of keeping his focus on Clinton. 
 
 Ryan responded to the uproar with a Sunday statement that did not mention Trump by name, but blasted his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. and praised the Khan family. 
 
 That was followed by the Tuesday interview in which Trump refused to support Ryan's reelection. 
 
 His running mate, Mike Pence Mike (Michael) Richard PenceTrump boasts over victory of GOP candidate in Georgia Trump dines at Pence’s residence Trio of conservative Republicans rip Senate healthcare process MORE, sought to ease tensions Wednesday by “strongly” endorsing Ryan. 
 
 And Trump seemed to move closer on Thursday, calling Ryan “a good guy,” and adding that Pence had his blessing to support the Speaker.
– Donald Trump is backing Paul Ryan after all. Days after causing a ruckus by saying he was "not quite there yet" in regard to endorsing the House speaker in his primary fight, Trump declared himself in Ryan's corner. "In our shared mission to make America great again, I support and endorse our Speaker of the House Paul Ryan," Trump said at a rally in Green Bay, per Politico. Ryan has an enormous lead over opponent Paul Nehlen, with the latest polls showing him up 80% to 14%, notes the Hill, and he didn't seem particularly fazed by Trump's initial reluctance. On Friday, Nehlen tried to take advantage, citing that reluctance as "a clear signal to Wisconsin voters that Ryan is not his preferred candidate in this race." Nehlen also was in attendance at Trump's campaign rally, while Ryan (and Gov. Scott Walker) decided to skip, notes the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.