Holds tense “unity” meeting with Paul Ryan and GOP leaders while downplaying policy differences

With party leaders still wary after his hostile primary, Trump traveled to Washington on May 12, 2016 for a much-hyped meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republican officials to talk “unity.” Afterward, both sides issued carefully worded statements saying they were committed to working together while acknowledging they were not yet on the same page. Trump publicly stressed that Republicans did not have to agree on everything and continued to signal he would not back down on core themes like immigration and his Muslim ban “suggestion.” The episode underscores how he expected party institutions to fall in line behind him despite major ideological and stylistic breaks, and how he framed any hesitation from leaders like Ryan as something voters would sweep away.

"We’re not going to agree on every little thing. But we’re going to be a very united party." — Comments around and after his May 12, 2016 meetings with House Speaker Paul Ryan and other GOP leaders in Washington, D.C., as he emphasized unity and downplayed policy differences while still insisting on his own priorities