Trump To Meet Republican Leaders, Including House Speaker Paul Ryan, To Build Closer Alliances With Top GOP Officials

Donald Trump is all set to meet Republican leaders Thursday at the Republican National Committee headquarters, even as he believes he doesn't need the support of House Speaker Paul Ryan or other GOP leaders. Trump will meet Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the same day he is scheduled to meet with Ryan (R-Wis.), who has so far withheld his support for the only Republican left running for president.

"If we make a deal, that will be great," Trump told Fox News when asked about Thursday's meeting with Ryan. "And if we don't, we will trudge forward like I've been doing and winning all the time."

The meeting comes as GOP voters become more willing to embrace Trump. On Wednesday, Republicans met with Ryan for the first time since the latter told CNN's Jake Tapper he was not ready to endorse Trump.

"To pretend we are unified without actually unifying means we go into the fall at half-strength. This election is too important to go into an election at half-strength," Ryan reportedly said after the meeting, rejecting concerns he was making things tougher.

Meanwhile, more Republican voters are appearing to move in favor of Trump. According to a national Gallup Poll taken last week, two in three Republican-leaning voters now support Trump, compared to 31 percent who view him unfavorably, the Associated Press reported.

The private meetings Thursday represent Trump's first tangible steps toward repairing his strained ties with GOP leaders. The public differences of the GOP leaders are overshadowing Trump's efforts to broaden his political appeal as the next phase of the 2016 presidential contest begins.

"Donald Trump is unifying the party already," Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump's chief Washington ally, reportedly said. "The party is the people who vote."