House Speaker Paul Ryan says he would vote for Trump in November

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan announced on Thursday he would vote for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in November.

The announcement, made by Ryan in a column published in his hometown newspaper The Gazette, came almost a month after the highest-ranking GOP officeholder first said in an interview with CNN that he was not ready to support Trump.

After talking "at great length" with Trump later, Ryan said he was now convinced that the presumptive GOP nominee would advance the party's agenda.

"Through these conversations, I feel confident he would help us turn the ideas in this agenda into laws to help improve people's lives. That's why I'll be voting for him this fall," wrote Ryan.

"It's no secret that he and I have our differences. I won't pretend otherwise. And when I feel the need to, I'll continue to speak my mind," wrote Ryan. "But the reality is, on the issues that make up our agenda, we have more common ground than disagreement."

Ryan had criticised Trump on several occasions during the primary season, calling him out on his divisive language.