Paul Ryan sets meeting with Trump after CNN snub

Mr. Ryan may not be "ready" to support Trump, but he is ready to meet with him.  Sources say the meeting is less than a week away, and was announced shortly after statements of concern with Trump's "standards."

Brandon Davis, PoliticKING


Speaker of the House, 2012 vice presidential candidate, and the nations highest-ranking elected Republican, Paul Ryan, said on Thursday that he is “just not ready” to support likely GOP nominee Donald Trump for the presidency.

But unlike all many headlines may lead readers to believe, he also made it seem as though he eventually would.

"I'm just not ready to do that at this point.  I'm not there right now," Ryan told CNN. “ I hope to, though, and I want to,” he continued.  Ryan’s resistance to lend his support came from a place of conservative concern.“ I think what is required is that we unify this party.  And I think that the bulk of the burden on unifying the party will have to come from our presumptive nominee" Ryan went on.

Mr. Ryan’s announcement signified division among Republicans that has not been seen in at least a half century.  Coming only two days after Trump vowed he would unify the party, and nearly clinched the nomination with his victory in the Indiana primary, Ryan’s statements set off waves of speculation within the media.

As the chairman of the Republican National Convention, Mr. Ryan has said he would support his party’s nominee.  Now, with Republicans trying to regain the White House – and maintain a control in Congress – Ryan’s concerns were centered on a candidate who “bears our standards.”

With the combination of Donald Trump’s often extreme remarks – insulting everyone from women, to Hispanics and Muslims, to his numerous running mates – and with what seems his general rejection of many core Republican policies, it appeared as though Trump was not meeting Mr. Ryan’s “standards.”  Many viewed his comments as a defense of his majority in the House, the reputation of his party, and of his own viability.

"And so, I think what is necessary to make this work, for this to unify, is to actually take our principles and advance them.  And that's what we want to see.” Mr. Ryan said in the CNN interview.

Within an hour, Mr. Trump offered a sharp comeback, saying in a statement that he was “not ready to support Speaker Ryan’s agenda.”

Mr. Ryan, announced Friday that he and other members of the House Republican leadership will meet next Thursday morning with the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.


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