Donald Trump Meets With Son Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Just Days Ahead Of Inauguration

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. says he had a "very constructive'' meeting with President-elect Donald Trump on the holiday marking King's life.

Martin Luther King III played down Trump's recent claim that Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, was "all talk.'' He told reporters at Trump Tower on Monday that in the heat of emotion, "a lot of things get said on both sides.''

Trump slammed Lewis on Twitter Saturday, after the congressman questioned the President-elect's legitimacy as a leader.

On Twitter Monday, Trump urged everyone to celebrate Dr. King for the great man he was.

King says the focus of his meeting with Trump was to improve voter participation and stress the need to bring America together. He says Trump assured him it's his intent to reach out to all Americans, even those who did not support him.

Trump briefly appeared with King after their nearly hour-long meeting but ignored reporters' questions.

As CBS2's Dick Brennan reported, with the inauguration just three days away, the president-elect is also signalling what he wants to do after the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. His spokesman says the goal is to see that everyone is covered and to negotiate lower costs.

House speaker Ryan says all branches of government will have a say on Obamacare and other pressing issues.

"We live in a constitutional republic with three separate but equal branches of government," he said, " so it's not as if someone can tweet one day and that's the law of the land. Laws become laws through the legislature and signed by the executive and the legislature and incoming executive are working on a plan to fix America's big problems in 2017. That's what we're discussing."

Trump will be sworn in as the nation's 45th president Friday.

(TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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