elkhorn, wis.<u+2014>house speaker paul ryan (r., wis.) suggested that donald trump <u+2019>s lewd comments about women had created a <u+201c>troubling situation,<u+201d> but held back from saying saturday afternoon whether the gop presidential nominee should step aside. after alluding to the <u+201c>elephant in the room<u+201d> sparked by mr. trump<u+2019>s 2005 remarks, mr. ryan largely sidestepped further discussion of the brewing gop revolt against the nominee, an indication that the speaker may need more time to decide how to respond to the growing backlash against mr. trump. for months, the fiscally conservative speaker has oscillated between defending his party<u+2019>s presidential nominee and condemning some of his inflammatory rhetoric and more contentious policy stances. on friday, mr. ryan said in a statement that he was <u+201c>sickened<u+201d> by video footage from 2005 that surfaced of mr. trump saying in crude sexual terms that he kissed and groped women without their consent. <u+201c>i meant what i said and it<u+2019>s still how i feel,<u+201d> mr. ryan said saturday at a fall festival in elkhorn, wis., speaking against a backdrop of hay bales and pumpkins. mr. trump had been scheduled to appear with mr. ryan at the fall festival in their first joint campaign appearance, but the speaker withdrew his invitation friday after mr. trump<u+2019>s comments were reported. mr. ryan<u+2019>s comments marked the latest deeply uncomfortable moment for the speaker since he endorsed mr. trump in early june after publicly hesitating for a month. often visibly frustrated by fielding questions about mr. trump on capitol hill, mr. ryan has alternated between defending mr. trump as a better choice than democratic nominee hillary clinton and condemning many of mr. trump<u+2019>s most contentious comments. mr. ryan has objected to mr. trump<u+2019>s early proposal to ban muslims from entering the u.s., labeled as racist mr. trump<u+2019>s criticism of a federal judge with mexican heritage, and criticized russian president vladimir putin one day after mr. trump said he welcomed praise from the russian leader. the speaker has also said mr. trump should release his tax returns. but republicans, wary of angering mr. trump<u+2019>s supporters in the primary, had largely continued to back mr. trump until the most recent scandal, just a month before the nov. 8 election day. mr. trump apologized for his remarks friday night and said saturday that he wouldn<u+2019>t drop out of the race . in an indication of the political peril mr. ryan might face if he withdrew his support for mr. trump, republicans gathered for the rally saturday were mostly sticking with mr. trump. <u+201c>much ado about nothing,<u+201d> said mike goril, a 65-year-old, semiretired serial entrepreneur from lake geneva who sported a red <u+201c>make america great again<u+201d> hat and held a trump-pence sign high over his head. <u+201c>let<u+2019>s talk about hillary clinton<u+2019>s missing emails, wall street and bill clinton and all his girls. what man hasn<u+2019>t had those thoughts? let he who is without sin cast the first stone.<u+201d> sara cook, a 25-year-old bank teller from elkhorn, said she would still be voting for mr. trump. <u+201c>i just don<u+2019>t think you should be punished for something you said 10 years ago. i<u+2019>m disappointed he<u+2019>s not coming.<u+201d> a spirited debate broke out after the event between audience members. evan barczynski, a 23-year-old tool-and-die maker from menomonee falls, said he bought his $30 ticket on friday to see mr. trump and now wants his money back. <u+201c>we need a government for the people again,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>paul ryan has turned against his own blood.<u+201d> but travis clark, a 43-year-old warehouse worker from milwaukee, said he had decided in the last 24 hours that he either wouldn<u+2019>t vote for a presidential candidate or would write in mitt romney. <u+201c>i have a daughter so to impose your activity on another in that way is very concerning to me,<u+201d> he said. mr. travis said that as an african-american from the inner city, he still agreed with mr. trump<u+2019>s ideas, such as his stand on syrian refugees. <u+201c>what<u+2019>s going on in our inner cities right now is terrible,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>we need to address our problems at home first before letting others in.<u+201d> mr. ryan<u+2019>s democratic opponent, ryan solen, attended the rally and hoped to benefit from the speaker<u+2019>s tough position. <u+201c>i think he<u+2019>s in trouble,<u+201d> mr. solen said, noting the heat mr. ryan was facing from trump supporters. <u+201c>i think he should rescind his endorsement.<u+201d> meanwhile, a group of activists stood at the entrance to the fairgrounds carrying signs and chanting <u+201c>trump demeans women.<u+201d> mr. ryan was one of several key republicans whose reactions to the video were being closely watched saturday. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell (r., ky.) has criticized mr. trump<u+2019>s comments, but like mr. ryan hasn<u+2019>t yet weighed in on whether mr. trump should step aside and let his running mate, indiana gov. mike pence, run for president, as many other lawmakers have urged. gop leaders are facing a growing number of both rank-and-file lawmakers and senior politicians calling on mr. trump to step down. in the senate, sen. john thune of south dakota, a member of gop leadership, urged mr. trump to withdraw from the race, as have many other senate republicans. in the house, two conservative republicans from alabama, reps. martha roby and bradley byrne, said saturday they could no longer support mr. trump. gop rep. joe heck of nevada, who is running for the senate seat being vacated by the retirement of senate democratic leader harry reid, called on mr. trump to leave the race. rep. tom rooney (r., fla.) said saturday afternoon that he could no longer support mr. trump after the release of his 2005 comments. <u+201c>if i support him for president, i will be telling my boys that i think it<u+2019>s ok to treat women like objects<u+2014>and i<u+2019>ll have failed as a dad,<u+201d> mr. rooney said in a statement, noting that he wouldn't be voting for either mr. trump or mrs. clinton. write to kristina peterson at kristina.peterson@wsj.com and joe barrett at joseph.barrett@wsj.com
ryan calls trump<u+2019>s lewd comments a <u+2018>troubling situation<u+2019>   - wsj
kristina peterson joe barrett