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 Trump was on his best behavior on a day of meetings with
Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill. He listened patiently as they
raised concerns about his tone and the need to try to appeal to
Hispanic voters.
He avoided strident language, like the frequent criticism he has
lobbed from the campaign trail that many lawmakers are awestruck by
the corridors of power and forget why they were sent to Washington.
"The whole discussion was very solid, reasonable and a warm and
winning discussion," said Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah. "I think
you're going to find he’s going to be better and better all the
time.”
The U.S. budget deficit and debt were among the issues Trump and
Ryan discussed, sources familiar with the meeting said.
Trump's day in Washington was aimed at laying to rest some of the
concerns that persist among Republicans about his incendiary tone
and some policy proposals at odds with party doctrine.
The New York billionaire, who needs the party behind him to bolster
his chances at winning the Nov. 8 election, has vowed to build a
wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, deport 11 million illegal
immigrants, temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country and
impose trade protectionist policies.
 Trump held an hour-long session with Ryan, who as speaker of the
House of Representatives is the top U.S. elected Republican and can
hold sway with many establishment Republicans leery of Trump.
"This was our first meeting, but it was a very positive step toward
unification," Ryan and Trump said in a joint statement.
Trump told Fox News in an interview that he had a "very, very good
meeting" with Ryan. "I think Paul felt the same way and everybody
else did also," Trump said.
Trump said he and Ryan largely agree on issues of border security,
trade and beefing up the U.S. military.
Party leaders are normally eager to rally around a presidential
nominee to combine forces for the battle leading up to the general
election. But Ryan has withheld his endorsement of Trump out of
concern over the businessman's conservative credentials.
In remarks to reporters after the meeting, the congressman said he
was encouraged by the session but that more work will be needed.
"There's no secret that Donald Trump and I have had our differences.
We talked about those differences today," Ryan said at his weekly
news conference. "I do believe we are planting the seeds in getting
ourselves unified."
Ryan, who may harbor aspirations of running for president in 2020 or
later, noted that he represents a wing of the conservatives and that
it is positive that Trump is bringing new voters into the party.
TONE IT DOWN
Despite his problems in winning over senior Republicans, Trump
received a boost on Wednesday when a Reuters/Ipsos national poll
showed him pulling even with likely Democratic nominee Hillary
Clinton. The online survey found 41 percent of likely voters
supporting Clinton and 40 percent backing Trump.
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Later on Thursday, Trump went into a meeting with Senate Republican
leaders, where he posed for photos with them and heard concerns
about his campaign rhetoric but appeared to make some progress in
tempering concerns about him.
"Everyone here wants you to win," Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell told him at the Senate session, a source said.
Senator Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia urged Trump to be
careful in his tone. Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, a former U.S.
trade representative, urged caution on his rhetoric against trade
deals.
“The issue of tone did come up," said Senator John Cornyn of Texas,
who said he gave some advice to Trump on “the importance of the
Hispanic vote and the whole idea of distinguishing between illegal
immigration and legal immigration.”
In a meeting at a Washington law firm, Trump sat down with James
Baker, who served as secretary of state for Republican President
George H.W. Bush.
Earlier in the day, Baker had testified to the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee. Under questioning from Senator Marco Rubio, a
former Republican presidential candidate, Baker said the world
"would be far less stable" without a strong NATO, a slap at Trump's
idea of reconfiguring the Western alliance and getting European
nations to foot more of the bill.
"Secretary Baker had a meeting with Donald Trump that was requested
by his campaign," a Baker spokesman said.
Even Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina softened a bit. Graham
dropped out of the presidential race earlier this year and had said
the choice between Trump and rival Ted Cruz was like trying to
decide between being "shot or poisoned."
Graham said he had a "cordial, pleasant conversation" on the phone
with Trump on Wednesday.
"I know Mr. Trump is reaching out to many people, throughout the
party and the country, to solicit their advice and opinions. I
believe this is a wise move on his part," said Graham.
(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan, Emily Stephenson, Doina
Chiacu, Susan Cornwell, Patrica Zengerle, David Morgan and Eric
Beech; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Alistair
Bell and Leslie Adler)
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