President Donald Trump reportedly blew up at a Republican senator during a closed-door meeting on Wednesday for missing a vote on a war powers resolution, but the lawmaker was actually at a rally with Trump when the vote occurred.
McCormick's Absence Explained
During a closed-door meeting with GOP lawmakers called after Trump canceled the signing of a bipartisan housing bill, the president went after Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), according to a source who spoke to MS NOW congressional reporter Mychael Schnell. Schnell noted on X: “But worth noting: McCormick was with Trump at a Pennsylvania rally. And even if he were at the Capitol, the resolution still would’ve been successful because (Mitch) McConnell was absent.”
Cassidy's Confrontation
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) also had a verbal altercation with Trump during the meeting. Additional news outlets reported that Trump lashed out at Republican senators who voted with Democrats to pass the war resolution, which directs the president to remove military forces from the conflict with Iran.
Cassidy, who recently lost a primary election to a Trump-backed candidate, detailed his confrontation to reporters after the meeting. “I stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on,’” Cassidy said. “This is supposed to last four weeks. It’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved.”
Cassidy said he told Trump he would continue voting in favor of war powers resolutions until the White House briefed Congress on the war. Cassidy noted that Trump “did not particularly care for my comments” and “raised his voice.”
A person familiar with the meeting told The Associated Press that Cassidy was repeatedly told to sit down and that Trump called the senator a “lunatic.” Cassidy told reporters that what he said during the meeting was “not appropriate.” “But I again matched his tone and volume,” Cassidy said. “And so I sat down and tried to de-escalate. I guess my point is, though, that the American people need to know more than we’re being told.”
Context of the Resolution
The war powers resolution passed with bipartisan support, directing Trump to remove U.S. military forces from hostilities with Iran. Trump's anger at the senators who supported the measure reflects ongoing tensions between the president and some GOP lawmakers over his Iran policy.
