Ted Cruz will speak at the Republican convention after all.
Presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump offered Cruz a speaking slot during a meeting Thursday morning in Washington, and the Texas senator accepted on the spot, according to sources in the room.
There was no talk of an endorsement: Trump did not ask for Cruz’s support, nor did Cruz offer it.
A Trump source, who described the meeting as a “mending of fences,” said the former rivals agreed to a rhetorical cease-fire and promised to work together on issues they agree on. One such area is the courts: Trump asked Cruz to assist in cultivating a longer list of conservative judicial appointees, and once more, the Texas senator obliged him.
In addition to the two principals, the meeting was attended by Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus; RNC chief of staff Katie Walsh; former Cruz campaign manager Jeff Roe; Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort; and Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, as well as her husband, Jared Kushner.
Cruz and his team were already planning to visit Cleveland during the convention, even if only to speak with the Texas delegation and meet with officials from early nominating states. They had no expectation of Trump offering a speaking slot without an endorsement in return.