Gov. Bill Haslam says he and Donald Trump had a good conversation when they met Tuesday in New York, but he’s still trying to figure out whether to give Trump his support.
Haslam was part of a group of six Republican governors who sat down with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 45 minutes at his office in Trump Tower to discuss issues important to them.
The Tennessee governor says he used the opportunity to discuss education. Haslam says states are making “a lot of strides” and he wants Trump to help them continue.
Haslam says Trump didn’t commit to supporting his education agenda.
On the flip side, Trump didn’t ask Haslam for a formal endorsement. The governor says the conversation moved to other topics after Trump was told he would likely win Tennessee.
Haslam worked with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to organize the meeting. Other participants included Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.
A few of them broached the topic of Trump’s rhetoric. But Haslam says it was difficult to send a strong message.
“Remember, there’s six different governors, so everybody has different opinions there, but several of us expressed a real concern that what we say and how we say it matters.”
They encouraged Trump to be more inclusive, something that Haslam says will be the difference between winning or losing in November.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM