Ryan and Trump emerge from 'great conversation' with a more unified outlook

Paul Ryan and Trump approach more unified front.

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

published 12 May 2016

Presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, the highest-ranking Republican in office, emerged from their Thursday morning meeting at RNC headquarters in Washington, D.C, with a decidedly more unified outlook. In a joint statement, Ryan and Trump urged Republicans to "unite around our shared principles" and "advance a conservative agenda" to avoid "another four years of the Obama White House, which is what Hillary Clinton represents."

In a press conference after the meeting, Ryan said he was "very encouraged" by what he heard from Trump and that the two focused on how to unite on "core principles" while leaving policy talk for later. "I do believe that we are now planting the seeds to get ourselves unified," Ryan said, adding that he found Trump to be a "very warm and genuine person" with a "good personality." When asked outright if he would be endorsing Trump before the Republican convention this summer, however, Ryan ducked.

Trump is also set to meet with other members of the House Republican leadership team Thursday while he is in D.C.