Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., said Thursday that Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, “has not earned” her backing.
“First and foremost, I have absolutely no intention of supporting Hillary Clinton — not now, not ever,” Wagner told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I am kind of like all voters. The candidate who is running for public office has to earn my vote, and Donald Trump has not earned my vote.”
Wagner’s statement echoes House Speaker Paul Ryan’s announcement that “he’s not ready” to endorse Trump and it’s consistent with her previous criticism of Trump following his mockery of Arizona Sen. John McCain’s capture during the Vietnam War.
“He is going to have to earn my vote and prove that he is capable of stepping up to the leadership position of being the nominee of our party,” she said. “I am going to take a thoughtful approach on this.”
Ryan made a similar comment during a CNN interview on Thursday. “I think the bulk of the burden on unifying the party will have to come from our presumptive nominee,” he said. “I think what a lot of Republicans want to see is that we have a standard-bearer that bears our standards and that unifies all the wings of the Republican Party.”
