Donald Trump Suggests Paul Ryan Isn't Helping Because 'Maybe He Wants to Run' in 2020

Republican nominee Donald Trump hinted in an interview aired on Tuesday that House Speaker Paul Ryan may be hoping for his downfall because of Ryan's own 2020 presidential ambitions.

When asked by ABC News before a Monday night campaign event in Green Bay, Wisconsin, whether he thinks Ryan wanted him to win the presidency, Trump responded, "Well, maybe not, because maybe he wants to run in four years or maybe he doesn’t know how to win."

Trump appeared to take personal satisfaction for his popularity in Ryan's home state of Wisconsin.

"Maybe he just doesn’t know how to win. I mean, who can really know. But I know I’m in his territory, and they are all screaming for Trump," Trump said. "The head of the [state] Republican Party just left me. He shook my hand. He says, 'You are gonna win Wisconsin.' And I know one thing, we are gonna do very well here."

At least some Wisconsinites seem to share Trump's view of the speaker, chanting, "Paul Ryan sucks!" before the Monday night event.

As for Trump, he tried to downplay the criticism he has hurled upon Ryan.

"Well, I don’t want to be knocking Paul Ryan. I think he could be more supportive to the Republican nominee," Trump said. "We are doing well. I think we are gonna win the election."

However, in recent weeks, Trump has done nothing but knock Ryan after the speaker told fellow Republicans that he will no longer defend Trump, instead choosing to focus on congressional races that the party is in danger of losing.

"The speaker is going to spend the next month focused entirely on protecting our congressional majorities," Ryan's spokeswoman, AshLee Strong, said in a statement.

Since then, Trump has rallied supporters by making an enemy out of Ryan during his campaign speeches and, per usual, by lashing out against him on Twitter.

Fox News host Sean Hannity ratcheted up his attacks against Ryan on Monday, accusing the speaker and mainstream Republicans of "stabbing" Trump in the back and "sabotaging" his run for the White House.

During a segment with conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, Hannity suggested that Ryan should be replaced as speaker of the house, saying, "I think in 23 days — win, lose or draw — we need a long conversation about whether or not he should be speaker of the House."

In recent national polling, Clinton leads head-to-head match-ups against Trump, with the Democrat holding 48.9 percent support compared to 41.9 percent for the New York businessman, according to averages compiled by RealClear Politics.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons