Trump, Ryan prepare to meet as Republicans call for unity

The much-anticipated meeting Thursday morning will play out as polls suggest Republican voters are getting behind Trump, who effectively clinched the nomination last week.

GOP lawmakers are increasingly calling for the party to end its embarrassing bout of infighting and unite to beat likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in November, and many want to see Ryan get on board.

[...] a broader swath of Republican voters appears to be moving behind Trump, despite big-name holdouts such as Ryan, both former president Bushes and the party's 2012 nominee, Mitt Romney.

In a closed-door GOP meeting Wednesday a number of Republicans stood up and argued in support of Trump, with one saying that anyone who cares about "unborn babies" should get behind him because of the likelihood the next president will make Supreme Court appointments, and Trump's would be better than Clinton's, according to lawmakers present.

Others expressed reservations, and asked Ryan to raise concerns with Trump about where he really stands on social issues and budgetary policies, including changes to Social Security and Medicare.