The Republican House Speaker took his first trip with the president on Air Force One as the two headed to Charleston, South Carolina, to mourn the nine African-American men and women killed at their church last week.
Obama has never been known as much of a schmoozer, but in recent months he has treated fellow lawmakers from both parties to trips aboard Air Force One with him as a way of currying favor and engaging in discussions with a captive audience.
A White House official told POLITICO in February that since the Democratic losses in the 2014 midterm elections, the president himself has used the plane to facilitate tête-à -têtes with various legislators. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) among others, all flew with the president on his Boeing 747 in early 2015.
The change in Air Force One hangouts following the midterms provided a marked contrast to the middle of the Obama presidency; from September 2011 until February 2013 not a single Republican lawmaker joined the commander in chief aboard the plane, despite a litany of possible trips.