TRENTON -- After their much-anticipated meeting in Washington D.C. on Thursday, Donald Trump and U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said they were hopeful they could "unify" the Republican party and win back the White House in November.

Still, Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican who leads the lower house of Congress, stopped short of saying he now endorses Trump, the party's presumptive presidential nominee.

"While we were honest about our few differences, we recognize that there are also many important areas of common ground," Trump and Ryan said in a joint statement after their meeting at Republican National Committee headquarters.

"We will be having additional discussions, but remain confident there's a great opportunity to unify our party and win this fall, and we are totally committed to working together to achieve that goal."

Trump traveled to Washington to meet with Ryan and other GOP leaders after Ryan said last week that he was "not ready" to back the billionaire businessman and former Atlantic City casino magnate for president.

Despite being the only Republican left in the race, Trump has drawn the ire of many party leaders for his controversial proposals and combative style, with some top members of the party saying the businessman doesn't represent the values of the GOP.

Meanwhile, Trump has tapped into a legion of Republican voters who have openly said they are angry at the party.

But Trump, Ryan, and RNC chairman Reince Preibus all touted positive messages on Twitter after Thursday's meeting:

Great day in D.C. with @SpeakerRyan and Republican leadership. Things working out really well! #Trump2016 pic.twitter.com/hfHY9MdAc7 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2016

The meeting was great. It was a very positive step toward party unity. — Reince Priebus (@Reince) May 12, 2016

Ryan told reporters in D.C. that he is still not committing to supporting Trump, he was "encouraged" by their talk.

"It's no secret that Donald Trump and I have had our differences," he said, according to reports. "We talked about those differences today."

"The question is what is it that we need to do to unify the Republican Party and all strains of conservative wings of the party," Ryan added. "It was important that we discussed our differences that we have, but it was also important that we discuss the core principles that tie us together."

Ryan said the next step is to dig "a little deeper in the policy weeds to make sure we have a better understanding of one another."

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.