WASHINGTON (CN) - Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump was on Capitol Hill Thursday to meet with a party leadership that has struggled with his ascent.
Arriving shortly after 9 a.m. at the National Republican Congressional Committee headquarters down the street from the Capitol, Trump met for about an hour with House Speaker Paul Ryan and other members of House and party leadership.
Trump later met with GOP leaders in the Senate.
While Ryan declined to endorse Trump in the wake of the talks and acknowledged he still shares policy differences with the candidate, the Wisconsin Republican called the meeting a good first step towards unifying a party focused on defeating Hillary Clinton in the upcoming November elections.
"We will be having additional discussions but remain confident there's a great opportunity to unify our party and win this fall, and we're totally committed to working together to achieve that goal," Ryan and Trump said in a joint statement released shortly after the meeting.
Ryan later told reporters he and Trump discussed a wide range of policy issues, including the Constitution, abortion, and the vacancy on the Supreme Court left by the February death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
"I was very encouraged with what I heard from Donald Trump today," Ryan said. "I do believe that we are now planting the seeds to get ourselves unified, bridge the gaps and differences and so from here we are going to go deeper into the policy areas to see where that common ground is and how we can make sure that we are operating off of these same core principles."
He downplayed his concerns about some of Trump's policy positions, saying he did not always agree with Mitt Romney in 2012 when the two men ran together for the White House.
He also repeatedly emphasized he has not yet gotten to know Trump and that the process of unity will take time and effort.
"It was important that we discussed our differences that we have, but it was also important that we discussed the core principles that tie us all together," Ryan said. "Principles like the Constitution and separation of powers. The fact that we have an executive that has gone way beyond the boundaries of the constitution and how it's important we restore Article One of the Constitution."
Ryan said his policy team will meet with Trump's to iron out their differences. He also said he would be willing to chair the Republican National Convention in Cleveland if Trump asked him to do so.
"The question is, can we unify around our common principles to offer the country a compelling and clear choice and agenda going forward so that the men and women of this nation get a real and honest choice about how to fix the country and get us on a better track and I am very encouraged that we can put that together," Ryan said.
Trump effectively clinched the Republican nomination last week when Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich ended their bids after a crushing Trump victory in Indiana.