WEST ALLIS, WI — (CNN) President-elect Donald Trump continued his “thank you” tour with a lovefest in Wisconsin Tuesday, thanking voters in the traditionally blue state he unexpectedly turned red and praising one-time antagonist House Speaker Paul Ryan during their first joint appearance.
“He’s like a fine wine,” Trump said of Ryan at his West Allis, Wisconsin, rally. “Everyday that goes by I get to appreciate his genius more and more.”
The Wisconsin native has had an at-times tumultuous relationship with Trump during the 2016 election. Two previous times the men were set to campaign together were scuttled, including one in the wake of the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape where Trump described sexually assaulting women.
In the wake of the tape, Ryan told House Republicans in October that he would no longer defend the nominee and would devote the remainder of the campaign season to helping Republicans in down ballot races.
Since Trump’s election Ryan has warmed back up to Trump and on Tuesday, he publicly thanked the real estate mogul for being the first candidate in decades to turn Wisconsin Republican during the presidential election.
“It was before I had my driver’s license the last time Wisconsin went Republican. This is amazing,” he said. “I want to thank Donald Trump, I want to thank Mike Pence.”
When he took the stage, Trump began the rally by wishing a “Merry Christmas” to the audience and thanking them for supporting him.
“Eighteen months ago I told my first crowd in Wisconsin that we were going to come back some day and say ‘Merry Christmas’ again,” he said, with the crowd cheering. “But I’m here today for one main reason. To say thank you to the people of Wisconsin.”
Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman who Trump tapped to serve as his chief of staff, also spoke at the rally.
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