Donald Trump said Tuesday he is looking forward to an upcoming meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan this week, striking a positive tone ahead of a sit-down aimed at uniting a fractured Republican Party.
“I look very much forward to meeting w/Paul Ryan & the GOP Party Leadership on Thurs in DC. Together, we will beat the Dems at all levels!” Trump tweeted.
Trump’s tweet comes one day after it was reported that Ben Carson, the former Republican presidential candidate who is now a surrogate for Trump, is hoping to talk to Ryan ahead of the highly anticipated Thursday meeting.
Armstrong Williams, a longtime Carson political adviser, reached out to Ryan’s team to request time for the retired neurosurgeon to connect with the speaker, two senior GOP? sources familiar with the discussions said Monday. The two are scheduled to speak by phone, a senior GOP source familiar with the plans told CNN. The source declined to say if the call was taking place Tuesday or Wednesday.
Ryan’s office on Monday declined to discuss any details on a potential conversation between the speaker and Carson.
The meeting was first reported by The Washington Post.
Ryan shocked the political world when he told CNN’s Jake Tapper last week that he wasn’t yet ready to endorse Trump.
The business mogul overwhelmingly won the Indiana primary last week, prompting his two remaining primary rivals — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich — to drop out of the 2016 race.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus, who is also a close friend of Ryan’s, dubbed the billionaire the party’s presumptive nominee. While Ryan said he wanted to work to unite the party, he said he needed more time before formally getting behind Trump.
?Priebus helped broker a meeting between Ryan and Trump, which he will host at the RNC’s Washington headquarters Thursday morning.
Trump is also scheduled to have separate sessions with top House and Senate Republican leaders.