Make or break time for US convention chairman Paul Ryan

Donald Trump will get a rousing send off when the Republican party crowns him its nominee in the White House race but, for convention chairman Paul Ryan, a political leader with strong Irish roots, the event could make or break his own presidential ambitions.

From the beginning, Mr Trump has created nothing but headaches for Mr Ryan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the nation’s top Republican, as he tries to marshal his fractured party behind the bombastic billionaire.

Mr Ryan has always been reluctant to support Mr Trump, and openly criticised the candidate’s proposed ban on Muslims entering the US. He’s also called other remarks by the candidate “an example of textbook racism”.