Trump 'finally' endorses Paul Ryan after refusing to back him

Donald Trump finally endorsed U.S. House speaker Paul Ryan, changing his previous stance of refusing to back the highest ranking elected Republican, in a move to mend an intra-party rift.

Trump read his endorsement off a sheet of paper in a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, last night.

"In our shared mission to make America great again, I support and endorse our speaker of the House, Paul Ryan. We may disagree on a couple of things but mostly we agree," the Guardian quoted him as saying.

Both Trump and Ryan were at odds as they shared different opinions on various issues.

Most prominently, Ryan criticized the Republican presidential nominee's call for a ban on Muslim migration to the U.S., and said that Trump's attack on a federal judge was "the textbook definition of a racist comment".

He also disagreed with Trump's comments over the feud with the family of a Muslim American army captain killed in the Iraq war.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that Ryan appreciates the gesture and is now going to continue to focus on earning the endorsement of the voters in southern Wisconsin.

Trump had earlier this week in an interview with the Washington Post said that that he liked Paul, but the country needed very strong leadership.

While Ryan is expected to win his primary contest in a landslide this yea, his opponent, businessman Paul Nehlen, who share similar tones as that of Trump has gained support from the fringes of the Republican party.

Trump also read out endorsements of senators John McCain of Arizona and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire.