Speaker Straus Still No Fan of Trump

CLEVELAND — Texas House Speaker Joe Straus is still not a fan of Donald Trump. 

Faced Tuesday morning with questions about Trump, Straus declined to offer any support for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, saying he is "100 percent focused" on his chairmanship of the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, which works to get GOP lawmakers elected across the county.

"I know there’s some tension over the presidential nomination, but not everything that happens at a nominating convention is about the top of the ticket," Straus told reporters after addressing Texas delegates here at the Republican National Convention. "There are a whole lot of people here working where I am on down-ballot races."

Straus went on to promise to "be a team player and do my part down ballot where we can't forget is very important." He made clear he will not support Trump's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, which he said would amount to a third term of President Barack Obama. 

Straus appears to have moved very little on Trump since the businessman became the presumptive nominee. At the time, more than two months ago, Straus suggested he was in the same boat as U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, who declined to immediately back Trump when he effectively clinched the nomination. 

But Ryan has since come around to Trump — if reluctantly — and in remarks to Texas delegates before Straus spoke, Ryan had harsh words for Republicans like Straus.

"This is a binary choice. It is either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton," Ryan said. "If you’re not for Donald Trump, if you’re not voting, if you’re not showing up, you’re helping Hillary Clinton."

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Alana Rocha contributed to this report.