Trump reportedly meets with RNC chairman Priebus after backtracking on loyalty pledge

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump was set to meet with party chairman Reince Priebus in Washington on Thursday, said a Republican with knowledge of the plans.

It comes days after Trump, John Kasich, and Ted Cruz made clear they had decided to back away from a loyalty pledge that Priebus asked Republican candidates to sign in September.

The goal was to prevent third-party runs and to guarantee the party’s presidential nominee would receive the support of all candidates.

The meeting also comes amid a tumultuous stretch for Trump, whose campaign manager was recently charged with misdemeanor battery against a journalist.

The candidate set off a firestorm Wednesday when he said if abortion were outlawed, women who had the procedure should be punished.

He later reversed, saying it was doctors who would deserve penalties.

Backtracking on the pledge on Tuesday, Cruz and Kasich suggested Trump was unfit for the presidency, while the billionaire implied the party had not held up its end of the deal.

“I have been treated very unfairly,” he said.

Messages to Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer and Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks weren’t immediately returned.

Trump next faces his rivals on the ballot in Wisconsin, Priebus’ home state, on April 5. He trails Cruz there by 10 percentage points, according to a Marquette Law School poll this week.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Trump reportedly meets with RNC chairman Priebus after backtracking on loyalty pledge."