WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump sharply criticized Senate Republicans during a Wednesday visit to the Capitol, faulting them for permitting a vote aimed at blocking his military campaign in Iran. The confrontation deepened an intra-party dispute that has distracted GOP lawmakers from their election-year focus on affordability concerns and slowed much of the Senate’s work to a standstill.
Trump was invited to address the Republican lunch by Sen. Rick Scott of Florida and had indicated beforehand that he planned to press senators to advance his proof-of-citizenship voting legislation. Instead, much of the private discussion centered on Tuesday’s Senate vote approving a war powers resolution — a largely symbolic move allowing Congress to register opposition to the administration’s military action. The House approved its own version of the measure earlier this month.
The president singled out the four Republicans who joined Democrats in backing the resolution: Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Trump had already attacked the group on social media, calling them “losers.”
While most GOP senators remained silent during the tense exchange, Cassidy — who lost his primary race last month after Trump endorsed a challenger — rose to defend his decision.
“I stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on,’” Cassidy told reporters after the meeting. “This was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved.”
Cassidy said he and Trump “went back and forth,” adding that he “matched his tone and volume” before someone urged him to sit down and he attempted to lower the temperature. The senator said he did not intend to let himself be intimidated.
“I am voting for war powers until I get a briefing,” Cassidy said afterward.
According to a person familiar with the closed-door meeting who was not authorized to discuss it publicly, Trump repeatedly told Cassidy to sit down. At one point, the president referred to the senator as a “lunatic.”
Publicly, Trump said afterward that they had “a really great meeting.” But he hinted at the discord.
“We like everyone in the room,” Trump said. “I don’t like a few people, but that’s okay”
The meeting capped weeks of friction between Trump and Senate Republicans and added a new layer of frustration as Tuesday’s vote was the first time the Senate had adopted a war powers resolution on the Iran war. Trump made clear he was in no mood to compromise before it even started, calling off a scheduled signing ceremony on a housing bill that passed both chambers overwhelmingly this week and that GOP lawmakers were touting as an election-year achievement.
Trump reverses on housing bill
Republican senators were eager for a conciliatory meeting with the president after escalating tensions in recent weeks. But Trump upended their plans when he declared on social media just beforehand that he wouldn’t sign the legislation until they send him the SAVE America Act, his bill to require proof of citizenship for all voters.
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said before the meeting that he doesn’t know why Trump is holding the housing bill “hostage” for the voting bill that “will never pass in this Congress.”
“It makes no sense to me,” Tillis said as he walked into the luncheon.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the housing legislation, which aims to lower costs, is “an affordability issue,” Thune said, “and eventually I hope he finds a way to sign it.”
The White House did not immediately respond when asked whether Trump would veto the legislation. But his apparent reversal on the measure that Republicans have touted ahead of the election is likely to only aggravate the deepening split between the president and his Republican majorities on Capitol Hill.
Trump and Senate Republicans have been at odds
Trump’s move on the housing bill is his latest reversal after weeks of being at odds with Senate Republicans.
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Trump has blocked the Senate from confirming one of his own nominees, asked them to fund parts of his White House ballroom project despite opposition and forced them to defend the Iran war even as they question the strategy and endgame.
By rejecting a public bill signing, Republicans worry that Trump is also indicating a level of indifference to voters’ affordability concerns heading into November’s midterm elections.
Trump has also helped whittle down his own support in the Senate after endorsing primary challengers to two GOP incumbents who were previously reliable votes for his agenda – Cassidy and Texas Sen. John Cornyn. Both men have become more critical of Trump since losing re-election.
“If we’re going to win the midterm elections, we need to get on the same page,” Cornyn said ahead of the meeting. “We’re not on the same page now, and that I think is dangerous.”
Trump pushes Thune on SAVE America Act
Trump has pressed Republicans for months to kill the Senate filibuster and focus on the proof-of-citizenship voting bill, even though Thune has repeatedly told him that neither has the votes.
While Thune remains popular in his conference and cordial with the president, he has spent much of his time lately telling Trump what he doesn’t want to hear. Thune said Tuesday that while Trump and some in their conference want to see the voting bill pass, “it’s just not realistic.”
Trump has also demanded that they add a ban on mail-in ballots to the bill as well as unrelated provisions to block sex reassignment surgeries on some minors and prevent transgender women from playing in women’s sports.
Thune devoted weeks of floor time to the voting bill earlier this year and has said he supports it. But he has repeatedly said there aren’t enough votes to scrap the filibuster that triggers a 60-vote threshold to pass most bills in the 53-47 Senate. And Democrats are uniformly opposed to the bill.
“Those are just hard realities,” Thune said. “And I think people at some point have to come to grips with that.”
Scott did not give Thune a heads up before inviting Trump to the Wednesday luncheon, which he runs. Scott, who ran against Thune for leader two years ago, said Trump responded “on the spot” to his invitation while the two were talking last week and said he would come.
Some GOP lawmakers say voting bill is still possible
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Wednesday that he had talked through a different approach on his call with Trump – putting the voting bill on a budget reconciliation measure that would only need a simple majority to pass. He has proposed a federal grant program that would provide funding to states if they implement various SAVE Act provisions.
But the process is long and complicated, and Republicans are divided over how to proceed.
A handful of senators are also still pushing the bill. Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah has amassed a large following on X with daily posts about how they should kill the filibuster and pass the bill, echoing Trump’s claims that Republicans need it to win in this year’s midterms, even after sweeping victories in 2024.
Scott said Trump spelled out during the meeting the various options the Senate could pursue is passing the SAVE Act.
“He really believes its the key to this fall,” Scott said of Trump.
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Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
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