Photo: AP

Just one day after Donald Trump savagely owned the Speaker of the House even harder than that baby, running mate Mike Pence endorsed Paul Ryan for reelection, reportedly with Trump’s blessing.

“I strongly support Paul Ryan, strongly endorse his reelection,” Pence told Fox News on Wednesday, according to The Hill. “He’s a longtime friend, he’s a strong conservative leader. I believe we need Paul Ryan in leadership in the Congress of the United States to rebuild our military, to strengthen our economy and to ensure that we have the kind of leadership in this country that will make America great again.”

During the same phone interview, Pence said that Trump “strongly encouraged” him to endorse Ryan after the running mates discussed Pence and Ryan’s lasting friendship.

Citing an unnamed source close to the campaign, CNN reports that Trump “has given Pence wide latitude to speak his mind and has personally encouraged him to stay true to his own ideas, believing Pence is loyal to the campaign.”

For Pence, who maybe wasn’t allowed to have anything to say in the past, it’s probably nice just to talk at all.