Trump and Ryan trumpet ‘great conversation’ — but Speaker still withholds endorsement

JUDY WOODRUFF:

The Republican presidential drama shifted today to a new stage, Washington. The man who's now all but certain to be the party's presidential nominee went behind closed doors with party leaders who had wanted someone else.

John Yang has our report.

JOHN YANG:

This morning, Donald Trump went to the headquarters of the institution he's shaken to its foundation, the Republican Party. He met for about an hour with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has yet to endorse Trump, chaperoned by party chair Reince Priebus.

REINCE PRIEBUS, Chairman, Republican National Committee:

It was cooperative. There was a good spirit in the room. So, I'm very hopeful. I thought it was great.

JOHN YANG:

In a joint statement, Trump and Ryan struck a conciliatory tone, calling it: "A great conversation. While we were honest about our few differences, we recognize that there are also many important areas of common ground and it was a very positive step toward unification."

In a news conference, Ryan stressed the things that unite them.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), Speaker of the House: Look, here's what we agree on. A Hillary Clinton presidency would be a disaster for this country. It's effectively a third Obama term, and the other thing we all know is most Americans do not like where this country is headed.

JOHN YANG:

While there was still no endorsement, Ryan said it was a good beginning to try to meld Trump's populist followers with Ryan's small-government brand of conservatism.

REP. PAUL RYAN:

The question is, what is it that we need to do to unify the Republican Party and all strains of conservative wings in the party? We had a very good and encouraging productive conversation on just how to do that.

JOHN YANG:

Later, Trump tweeted: "Great day in D.C. with Speaker Ryan and Republican leadership. Things working out really well."

In his news conference, Ryan made clear there are principles he will not abandon.

REP. PAUL RYAN:

Look, there are just things we really believe in as conservatives. We believe in limited government. We believe in the Constitution. We believe in the proper role of the differences and the separations of powers.

These are things that are important to us, and so we just had a good exchange of views on these kinds of issues.

JOHN YANG:

Ryan's reluctance to fully embrace Trump reflects concerns by Republican lawmakers about facing voters this fall with Trump at the top of the ticket.

Norman Ornstein is a scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. He says Ryan is walking a tightrope.

NORMAN ORNSTEIN, American Enterprise Institute:

Ryan is a smart guy who understands that the Trump candidacy for an awful lot of voters is radioactive. So, partly, what Ryan was doing was giving a little cover for his colleagues in the House when they go out there to run, showing that you can get a little distance from Trump without completely trashing him and alienating his own backers.

JOHN YANG:

Outside today's meeting, a crush of cameras and protests over immigration created a circus-like atmosphere.

PROTESTER:

When our communities are under attack, what do we do?

PROTESTERS:

Stand up, fight back!

JOHN YANG:

Congressional Democrats seemed to relish the Republicans' apparent disarray, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid jabbing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who also met with Trump.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), Minority Leader: Since Senator McConnell has so enthusiastically embraced Trump, we can only assume he agrees with Trump's view that women are dogs and pigs.

We can only assume that the Republican leader is not repulsed by Donald Trump's vulgar behavior towards women.

JOHN YANG:

But the Democrats' presidential contest continues to threaten their own party unity. Front-runner Hillary Clinton was in New York, and Bernie Sanders and his underdog campaign traveled to Mount Rushmore, where South Dakota holds its primary on June 7.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm John Yang on Capitol Hill.