Gov. Haslam Still Trying To Arrange That Meeting With Donald Trump In New York

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam says he’s still waiting on that meeting with Donald Trump.

The state’s top Republican says busy schedules have pushed the hoped-for face to face in New York back into June.

But Haslam continues to believe it’s important for Republican governors to have a discussion with their party’s presidential nominee. He says there are a number of topics for them to discuss, starting with what people Trump plans to put in charge of federal agencies.

“Who you put into departments and the philosophy of those departments really matters,” Haslam says. “I think it’s probably underestimated both by people who are running for office and by the rest of the citizens.”

Haslam has said he doesn’t plan to endorse Trump until he’s learned more about the real estate tycoon’s thinking on issues like Medicaid and education. Like many of his Republican counterparts, the governor generally favors eliminating federal mandates and giving states more control over how the money is spent.

Trump has called for
repealing the Affordable Care Act and
Common Core education standards. But he has said little about what he would put in place to replace them.

Time for that meeting might be running short. The Republican National Convention is less than two months away. After that, Trump might be even busier with the campaign.