Speaker of the House Paul Ryan says he was “very encouraged” following his meeting with presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, but did not issue an endorsement.
“I think we had a very encouraging meeting,” Ryan told reporters during a press conference on Capitol Hill Thursday morning after he met with Trump and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C.
He said there are differences on policy between the two men, saying, “We talked about those differences today, that’s common knowledge,” but said the question remains what can Ryan do to unify the Republican Party.
He said the meeting was a “productive conversation” on how to unify the party.
“I thought he was a very good personality,” Ryan said of Trump, adding he’s a “warm and genuine person.”
“We discussed the core principles that tie us all together,” Ryan explained, “like the Constitution and the separation of powers.”
“We talked about life and how strongly we feel about this core principle,” he said, also noting they discussed the Supreme Court, as the next president will likely nominate new justices.
“I was very encouraged by what I heard from Donald Trump today,” Ryan said, saying this was the first step in just a 45-minute meeting. “From here, we’re going to go deeper” on policy to find common ground.
“I was very encouraged,” Ryan stressed, but said this takes time and is “a very good start to a process in how we unify.”
Ryan noted how Trump has received the most votes of any GOP nominee and the primaries aren’t even over yet, saying, “It’s really a remarkable achievement.”
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