"Hey folks — just an FYI that reports this morning of imminent political news from Paul are not true," top Paul Ryan aide Brendan Buck wrote to his colleagues. | AP Photo Ryan: ‘Nothing has changed’ on lack of Trump nod

Speaker Paul Ryan is in no hurry to endorse Donald Trump as the GOP presidential nominee, but he plays down any talk of a split between them.

“I don’t have a timeline in my mind, and I have not made a decision,” Ryan told reporters during a wide-ranging press conference on Wednesday. “Nothing has changed from that perspective and we’re still having productive conversations.”


Ryan — who is set to chair the Republican convention in July, where Trump will be formally crowned as the GOP nominee — was pressed repeatedly on whether he would back the businessman mogul and reality TV star-turned-politician.

Ryan (R-Wis.), however, yielded no more clues of when that might happen.

“I want this to be a sincere deliberative process,” Ryan added. “I think it’s important that we actually discuss the principles that we all share in common and the policies that come from them, and I get good understanding on those. And that’s the kind of conversations we’re having.”

Ryan and Trump are expected to talk by telephone on Wednesday night, sources said.

"The purpose of the call tonight is for the two of them to continue their conversation about unifying the party. We never gave any indication that the call was about an endorsement," said Zack Roday, a spokesman for Ryan.

Ryan also made clear that he holds widely divergent positions with Trump on issues such as immigration and how to address the millions of undocumented immigrants in this country.

When asked about Trump's comments disparaging New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez — she has been a pointed Trump critic — Ryan showed he strongly disagreed.

"Susana Martinez is great governor. She turned deficits into surpluses. She cut taxes. She's a friend of mine. I think she's a good governor, I'll leave it at that," Ryan said.

Ryan’s comments came after several news reports on Tuesday night and early Wednesday — apparently originating from Trump's camp — that Ryan was on the verge of backing the presumptive nominee. The move would be significant because Ryan is virtually alone among GOP congressional leaders in holding out on a public endorsement.

A top Ryan adviser sent an internal memo Wednesday saying that no endorsement was coming, directly refuting the stories.

"Hey folks — just an FYI that reports this morning of imminent political news from Paul are not true," Brendan Buck, a top Ryan aide, wrote in the missive, obtained by POLITICO. "Just bad reporting. Carry on, and happy Wednesday."

The tenor of the internal memo reflects Ryan's continuing caution in dealing with Trump. Ryan has said that his conversations with Trump have been positive, but he has never indicated an endorsement is coming in the immediate future.

Ryan and Trump are expected to meet again in the coming weeks. Trump is expected to speak to the entire House Republican Conference in June.

“I want this to be a sincere deliberative process,” Ryan said at the news conference. “I think it’s important that we actually discuss the principles that we all share in common and the policies that come from them, and I get good understanding on those. And that’s the kind of conversations we’re having.”

Rachael Bade contributed.