Is there a 'sinister deal' against Donald Trump from within the GOP?

Donald Trump has suggested house speaker Paul Ryan is part of "a sinister deal" that prevented him giving his support to the GOP nominee.

Speaking at a rally in Ocala, Florida, Trump said Ryan had not contacted him following the second presidential debate – just days after the house speaker had said he would not spend his time defending Trump in the midst of the lewd comments scandal.

"Wouldn't you think Paul Ryan would call and say, 'good going'?" The Hill reported Trump asking the audience at the rally.

"You'd think they'd say, 'Great going, Don. Let's go, let's beat this crook. Let's beat her. We've got to stop her.' No, he doesn't do that. There's a whole deal going on. We're going to figure it out. I always figure things out. There's a whole sinister deal."

Ryan has been a longstanding issue for the GOP candidate, who felt the house speaker had taken too long to endorse him.

And although Ryan has not withdrawn his endorsement of Trump following leaked 2005 footage that saw the presidential nominee suggest being famous allowed you to grope women without their consent, he has made disparaging comments on the situation.

On 10 October, he stated to fellow Republicans he would no longer defend Trump and was instead focusing on securing a GOP majority in Congress.

But while his comments are sure to have annoyed Trump, Ryan has not completely distanced himself from the candidate – as fellow Republicans including John McCain have done – which has left some feeling Ryan is unsure which horse to back.