Ahead of a meeting later in the week with presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Monday he would cede his role as chairman of the GOP convention in July if asked to do so by Mr. Trump.
“He’s the nominee. I’ll do whatever he wants with respect to the convention,” Mr. Ryan told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel when asked about the scenario.
Mr. Ryan said last week on CNN that he wasn’t yet ready to support Mr. Trump’s candidacy, prompting Mr. Trump to respond that he wasn’t yet ready to support Mr. Ryan’s agenda.
The two are scheduled to meet Thursday.
“I just want to get to know the guy … we just don’t know each other,” Mr. Ryan told the paper.
“I never said never,” Mr. Ryan said. I just said [not] at this point. I wish I had more time to get to know him before this happened. We just didn’t.”
Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” this week if Mr. Ryan should chair the convention if he can’t endorse him, Mr. Trump demurred, saying he didn’t want to mention it then.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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