Donald Trump news for May 6, 2016

Perry, speaking by phone from his hometown of Roundtop, Texas, acknowledged Trump is not his ideal choice. When Perry was a candidate for president earlier in the 2016 cycle, he was the first to come out and criticize Trump and question his conservative credentials, calling his candidacy a “cancer on conservatism.”

“He is not a perfect man. But what I do believe is that he loves this country and he will surround himself with capable, experienced people and he will listen to them,” Perry said Thursday. [Read more]

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump tells Breitbart News Daily with SiriusXM host and Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon he was “surprised” by House Speaker Paul Ryan’s refusal to endorse him.

“I see that Darrell Issa endorsed yesterday, and Rick Perry endorsed. We had tremendous endorsements yesterday,” said Trump. “I guess John McCain endorsed, it looks like it. So many people endorsed yesterday, and then all of a sudden, out of the blue, comes this situation. I was actually very surprised by it, if you want to know the truth.” [Read more]

Trump Spokeswoman Katrina Pierson: No, I Did Not Vote for Obama in 2008 (Washington Free Beacon)

Did Donald Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson vote for Barack Obama in 2008? It’s a widely reported claim about Pierson, but she said Friday on CNN that it was untrue, and she told the Washington Free Beaconthat she has never voted for a Democrat in her life. [Read more]

Donald Trump rules out a Democrat as running mate (CBS News)

Donald Trump will not be naming a Democrat as his running mate in the general election, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said Friday.

When asked by Fox News whether Trump would consider choosing a member of the opposing party as vice president, the billionaire said in a phone interview, “I would rule ’em out — or her out.”

“We want to have a great ticket,” Trump said, adding that “the Democrats have been in there for a long time.” [Read more]

Paul Ryan is bluffing with no cards, and Donald Trump knows it (Vox)

Paul Ryan is demonstrably brilliant at suckering credulous journalists into testifying to his own brilliance, but he’s not much of a poker player.

That’s the lesson of yesterday’s back and forth in which Ryan said he’s “not ready” to support Donald Trump’s election because Trump hasn’t yet proven his conservative bona fides to Ryan’s satisfaction, and Trump fired back that he’s “not ready to support Speaker Ryan’s agenda,” proving that two can play at this game.

Ryan is trying to execute a power play on Trump, but he has no leverage. He’s bluffing — ineptly — with his cards turned backward so everyone can see he doesn’t have a good hand. [Read more]