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House Speaker Paul Ryan apparently felt he had drawn out his highly public waiting game long enough, surprising precisely no one with his announcement on Thursday that he was throwing his support behind presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

WATCH: Paul Ryan: Totally Not Running (Video)

The Washington Post brought word that Ryan, who had been making doubtful and undecided noises about the possibility of endorsing his party’s polarizing front-runner, had finally succumbed to the inevitable:

On Thursday, the speaker penned a guest column for his hometown newspaper in which he trumpeted the controversial real-estate mogul as someone who could support the speaker’s conservative agenda.

“It’s a question of how to move ahead on the ideas that I—and my House colleagues—have invested so much in through the years. It’s not just a choice of two people, but of two visions for America,” Ryan wrote, citing the “bold” policy agenda that he will begin rolling out next week and contrasting that with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton’s platform.

“Donald Trump can help us make it a reality,” Ryan said.

Contrast that statement with Ryan’s far more coy approach from just shy of a month ago (via CNN):

“I’m just not ready to do that at this point. I’m not there right now,” the Wisconsin Republican told CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” in an interview.

Ryan’s position makes him the highest-level GOP official to reject Trump since the real estate mogul became the last candidate standing in the party’s nominating contest. His move gives down-ballot Republicans cover to hold off on supporting Trump. It could also keep his agenda in the House from being overtaken by Trump’s policy positions.

Ryan said he hopes to eventually back Trump and “to be a part of this unifying process.” The first moves, though, must come from Trump, he said.

Ryan said he wants Trump to unify “all wings of the Republican Party and the conservative movement” and then run a campaign that will allow Americans to “have something that they’re proud to support and proud to be a part of.”

“And we’ve got a ways to go from here to there,” Ryan said.

As it happened, it only took four weeks to get there.

–Posted by Kasia Anderson

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#2016 election#donald trump#gop#hillary clinton#paul ryan#republicans#speaker of the house