Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump fell short of winning an endorsement from House Speaker Paul Ryan Thursday but both men said they had taken a "positive step" toward unifying the party behind the New York billionaire's White House run. Trump, facing a critical early test of the his general election candidacy, met with Ryan to air their differences, as well as with other Republican leaders.
"Great day in D.C. with @SpeakerRyan and Republican leadership. Things working out really well!" Trump said on Twitter. In a joint statement afterward, Trump and Ryan called their meeting a "positive step toward unification" and stressed the need to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton in November. But Ryan, who declared last week that he was "just not ready" to support Trump as the party's flagbearer, withheld his endorsement.
"I think this is going in a positive direction and I think this is a first very encouraging meeting," Ryan told reporters. "But again, in 45 minutes you don't litigate all of the processes and all the issues and the principles that we are talking about." Despite outstanding differences, Trump appeared to strike a delicate peace with the party establishment he had been so fond of attacking while on the campaign trail. "While we were honest about our few differences, we recognize that there are also many important areas of common ground," the pair said in their statement.
"We will be having additional discussions, but remain confident there's a great opportunity to unify our party and win this fall, and we are totally committed to working together to achieve that goal." Their talks also included Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, and were followed by a broader meeting between Trump and House GOP leaders, including Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, the top-ranked Republican woman in Congress. The real estate mogul, who has never run for elective office before, also met with top Senate Republicans, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has offered his support of Trump.
- 'Clear the air' - Concerns about the tone and substance of Trump's campaign have trickled down to many in the congressional rank and file who fear a Trump nomination could doom their efforts to win the presidency and hold their majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives. Charlie Dent, a moderate House Republican who was not in Thursday's meetings, told reporters Trump's pilgrimage to Washington was "an opportunity to clear the air."
Trump "has to convince many Americans, including myself, that he's ready to lead this great nation," he said. "At this point I haven't been persuaded, but I'm ready to listen." The brash tycoon's efforts will tell whether he will have the full support of his party as he goes into what promises to be a brutal election fight with Clinton. Ryan, who at 46 is a generation younger than 69-year-old Trump, took up the speakership last October pledging to modernise the party's image and reach out to minority groups. But many GOP luminaries have watched aghast as the provocative candidate has insulted Mexicans, demeaned women and called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Comments
Comments are closed.