Ryan: Trump has ‘ways to go’ to make GOP proud

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Thursday said that Donald Trump “has a ways to go” to give Republicans a presidential campaign that they can be proud of.

{mosads}Speaking Thursday to reporters on Capitol Hill, Ryan was asked how he can support Trump after calling the businessman’s remarks regarding a federal judge the “textbook definition of a racist comment.”

Trump’s comments about Judge Gonzalo Curiel were unjustifiable, said Ryan, who added that he’s glad Trump has “walked it back.”

“This is a long campaign and a long way to go,” he said. “And he has a ways to go to give us a campaign that we can all be proud of.”

Ryan also defended Trump against accusations that Trump is thin-skinned.

“I think his stage presence is different than what I would do but in my personal interactions with him I find him to have a very even-handed temperament,” Ryan said.

Trump has said that Curiel, who is presiding over a lawsuit against Trump University, has a conflict of interest in the case because of his “Mexican heritage,” due to Trump’s immigration policies.

Curiel was born in Indiana to Mexican immigrants.