US House Speaker Paul Ryan finally announces his support for Donald Trump

US House Speaker Paul Ryan has finally caved in to Republican party demands and formally endorsed the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump. The endorsement, in the form of a guest column in his hometown's newspaper, the Janesville Gazette, ends a month-long stand-off by Ryan to support Trump.

The Wisconsin Republican hardly penned a ringing endorsement for the bombastic billionaire. Instead of outright saying he will endorse Trump, Ryan says that it will be easier for him and his fellow Congressional Republicans to pass legislation if there is a Republican president in the White House.

Ryan outlines a series of proposals being set forth by Congressional Republicans, including "a better tax code" and a plan to repeal Obamacare and replace it "with a better system". "One person who we know won't support it is Hillary Clinton. A Clinton White House would mean four more years of liberal cronyism and a government more out for itself than the people it serves. Quite simply, she represents all that our agenda aims to fix," Ryan said in his interview.

"To enact these ideas, we need a Republican president willing to sign them into law. That's why, when he sealed the nomination, I could not offer my support for Donald Trump before discussing policies and basic principles" he continues. Ryan noted that he had talked with Trump "at great length" about those policies and principles.

"Through these conversations, I feel confident he would help us turn the idea in this agenda into laws to help improve people's lives. That's why I'll be voting for him this fall," Ryan said. The speaker acknowledged the two have their differences but said the two "have more common ground than disagreement".

Trump was declared the presumptive GOP nominee in early May, but Ryan chose to withhold his support at the time. "I think the bulk of the burden on unifying the party will have to come from our presumptive nominee," Ryan said at the time. "I'm not there right now. And I hope to though, and I want to. But I think what is required is that we unify this party."

Although he has given Trump his vote, Ryan vowed to "continue to speak my mind." He added: "As I said from the start, my goal has been to unite the party so we can win in the fall."