WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Donald Trump berated Senate Republicans during a visit to the Capitol Wednesday for allowing a , further escalating a feud that has diverted GOP efforts to focus on election-year affordability issues and brought much of the chamber鈥檚 business to a halt.
Invited to speak at the GOP luncheon by Florida Sen. Rick Scott, Trump had signaled ahead of time that he would use the closed-door meeting to push senators to pass his . But the conversation was more focused on Tuesday’s vote to approve the war powers resolution, a mostly symbolic measure that allows Congress to rebuke the administration’s military actions. The House passed its own version of the resolution earlier this month.
Trump had particular words for the four Republican senators who voted with Democrats on the measure 鈥� Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and 鈥� after calling them 鈥渓osers鈥� on social media.
Most Republicans stayed quiet. But Cassidy, who last month after Trump endorsed an opponent, stood up and defended his vote.
鈥淚 stood and said, 鈥榊ou have not told the American people what鈥檚 going on,鈥欌�� Cassidy told reporters after the meeting. 鈥淭his was supposed to last four weeks, it鈥檚 lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved.鈥�
The two men 鈥渨ent back and forth,鈥� Cassidy said, and he 鈥渕atched his tone and volume鈥� until someone told him to sit down and he tried to de-escalate. But Cassidy said that he did not want to be bullied.
鈥淚 am voting for war powers until I get a briefing,鈥� he said afterward.
Trump repeatedly told Cassidy to sit down, according to a person familiar with the private meeting who was not authorized to discuss it. At one point, the president called the senator a 鈥渓unatic.”
Publicly, Trump said afterward that they had 鈥渁 really great meeting.” But he hinted at the discord.
鈥淲e like everyone in the room,” Trump said. “I don鈥檛 like a few people, but that鈥檚 okay鈥�
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 鈥渉ostage鈥� for the voting bill that 鈥渨ill never pass in this Congress.鈥�
鈥淚t makes no sense to me,鈥� 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,鈥� Thune said, “and eventually I hope he finds a way to sign it.鈥�
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.
Trump has blocked the Senate from confirming , asked them to despite opposition and forced them to defend the even as they .
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 鈥� Cassidy and Texas Sen. . Both men have become more critical of Trump since losing re-election.
鈥淚f we鈥檙e going to win the midterm elections, we need to get on the same page,鈥� Cornyn said ahead of the meeting. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not on the same page now, and that I think is dangerous.鈥�
Trump pushes Thune on SAVE America Act
Trump has pressed Republicans for months to kill the Senate filibuster and focus on the even though Thune has repeatedly told him that .
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鈥檛 want to hear. Thune said Tuesday that while Trump and some in their conference want to see the voting bill pass, 鈥渋t鈥檚 just not realistic.鈥�
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鈥檚 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鈥檛 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.
鈥淭hose are just hard realities,鈥� Thune said. 鈥淎nd I think people at some point have to come to grips with that.鈥�
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 鈥渙n the spot鈥� 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 鈥� 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.
鈥淗e 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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