The Rehabitation of Donald Trump to the Fold of the main Republican party a Meeting with Paul Ryan
US election: Donald Trump and Paul Ryan hold high-stakes meeting
- 57 minutes ago
- US Election 2016
AP
Donald Trump is holding key talks with House Speaker Paul Ryan in Washington, in an attempt to unify the Republican party for the presidential campaign.
The two will try to find common ground after Mr Ryan said he could not endorse the presumptive Republican nominee.
He said the businessman lacked conservative principles.
Despite misgivings about Mr Trump, Republicans are calling for party unity to defeat likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in November.
Mr Trump arrived for his 0900 EST (1300 GMT) meeting at the Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters in Washington.
A handful of protesters brandished placards accusing Mr Trump of racism and Islamophobia, said the BBC's Gary O'Donoghue outside the RNC building.
Mr Ryan has only met Mr Trump once and said that the two need to get to know each other.
"We come from different wings of the party. The goal here is to unify the various wings of the party around common principles, so that we can go forward to unify it."
EPA
In December 2015, Mr Ryan harshly criticised Mr Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US.
He recently walked back that comment, calling it "just a suggestion".
He said it was "not what this party stands for and more importantly it's not what this country stands for".
Mr Trump told Fox News that he would be fine without Mr Ryan's approval.
"If we make a deal, that will be great. And if we don't, we will trudge forward like I've been doing and winning all the time."
Mr Ryan, who ran as 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's vice president, clashes with Mr Trump on many issues, including religious freedom and trade.
AP
He has remained popular on Capitol Hill, after being urged to take over as Speaker of the House of Representatives in the autumn.
Many urged him to run for president, but he has frequently denied that he would.
More and more Republicans are throwing their support behind Mr Trump, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Mr Trump's rise to the top of the Republican party, of which he has not been a member historically, has been unprecedented.
A recent Gallup Poll shows that two in three Republican-leaning voters view Mr Trump favourably.
But protests have plagued appearances by Mr Trump, with particular focus on his plan to build a wall on the Mexican border and deport 11 million undocumented immigrants.
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-36278172
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