Donald Trump says he was "blindsided" by House Speaker Paul Ryan's stunning admission that he's
"just not ready" to support the presumptive Republican nominee.
In an interview to air Sunday on NBC's
"Meet The Press," Trump said Ryan had been "so supportive" prior to the bombshell snub.
"I like Paul Ryan," Trump tells moderator Chuck Todd. "I think he's a very good guy. He called me three weeks ago, and he was so supportive. It was amazing. And I never thought a thing like this. I got blindsided by this."
Ryan "couldn't have been nicer" during their earlier conversation, according to Trump, adding that although he doesn't know Ryan very well, the pair have a "nice relationship."
"And then all of a sudden, he gets on and he does this number," Trump said. "So I'm not exactly sure what he has in mind. But that's OK."
The two are set to have a meeting on Thursday in Washington.
Trump also is due to meet with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and top congressional Republicans to try to unify the party,
CNN reports.
Ryan's spokesman on Saturday night, however, disputes the House Speaker made a congratulatory call to Trump,
The New York Times reports.
"They talked in March about our agenda but not since then," spokesman Brendan Buck tells the Times in an email.
In another sit-down with the ABC News Sunday show
"This Week with George Stephanopolous," Trump said his message to Ryan next week will be loud and clear.
"I'm gonna say, 'Look, this is what the people want,'" Trump vowed.
But according to CNN, Trump softened that tone Saturday during a campaign event in in Spokane, Wash.
"I think Paul Ryan will be fine, and if he's not, that's OK," Trump said, adding that he believes if Ryan had it to do over again, he'd simply endorse Trump rather than face the backlash from GOP voters and some elected officials.
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