WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Republican senators who have been at odds with President Donald Trump in recent weeks will have a chance to confront him face-to-face when he attends a party luncheon in the Capitol on Wednesday.
Senators said Tuesday that they hope the closed-door meeting will focus on unity, not disagreement. Yet it comes at a time when Trump appears to have lost interest in much of their agenda ahead of the midterm elections, pushing his proof-of-citizenship voting bill instead even though it doesn鈥檛 have the votes to pass.
In the last month, Trump has abruptly blocked Senate Republicans from confirming one of his own nominees, asked them to despite opposition and forced them to defend his Iran war even as they question the strategy and endgame.
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� Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy. Both men lost their primaries and have since become more critical of the president.
鈥淚f we鈥檙e going to win the midterm elections, we need to get on the same page,鈥� Cornyn said Tuesday ahead of the meeting. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not on the same page now, and that I think is dangerous.鈥�
It was uncertain, though, if Trump鈥檚 visit would smooth differences with the Republican majority 鈥� or if GOP senators who have been increasingly vocal about their frustration will voice their concerns directly.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said a lot of his complaints with the administration have already been communicated. He said he hopes the meeting will be 鈥渃onciliatory.鈥�
鈥淭hat would be a big win for us tomorrow,鈥� Tillis said.
Trump pushes Thune on SAVE America Act
Adding to the tension is Trump鈥檚 increasingly distant relationship with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. 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 been pushing the Senate for months to eliminate the filibuster and pass the legislation, known as the SAVE America Act, which would create strict new requirements for voters to prove citizenship and show voter ID at the polls. He 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 people born as men from playing in women鈥檚 sports.
鈥淛ohn is a leader and hopefully he can get the votes,鈥� Trump said Tuesday on a trip to Pennsylvania.
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�
Thune said he hopes the meeting is about 鈥渟itting down as a family鈥� and 鈥渃elebrating time left before the election.”
Some GOP senators back Trump on SAVE Act
Thune said he found out Trump was coming to the luncheon from Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who had extended the invitation without telling him 鈥� an unusual move that could signal some frustration within the ranks. Scott, a close Trump ally, leads the Senate Republican lunch every Wednesday.
Scott, who ran against Thune for leader two years ago, said Trump responded “on the spot” to his invitation and said he would come.
鈥淗e鈥檚 going to be very positive,” Scott said. “There’s a lot that we can brag about that we鈥檝e accomplished, and he wants to figure out how we can win November and continue to fulfill his agenda.鈥�
On Monday, Scott sent a letter to his Republican colleagues arguing that the Senate should be taking votes every week on some version of the SAVE America Act and other GOP priorities that Democrats oppose.
鈥淲e need to show voters that we are listening to them and will fight for their priorities whether any Democrats vote with us or not,鈥� Scott wrote.
Also needling Thune on the bill is Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican who has amassed a large following on X with daily posts about how they should kill the filibuster and pass the bill. Several Republican senators, including Cornyn, confronted Lee at a closed-door lunch last week about his advocacy.
Lee has also echoed Trump鈥檚 claims that Republicans can鈥檛 win elections unless the bill passes, despite the party’s sweeping victories in 2024.
鈥淭he push to pass the SAVE America Act is not a 鈥榝antasy,鈥欌�� Lee posted over the weekend. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a plan to avoid a nightmare 鈥� one that鈥檚 coming soon unless we act.鈥�
Thune said Tuesday that it鈥檚 Lee鈥檚 prerogative to post, but 鈥渁t the end of the day, I have a different reality. And sometimes the alternative universe that is X doesn鈥檛 reflect the facts on the ground.鈥�
Frustration over Iran, intelligence job could also be topics
Trump could be faced with questions about his announcement on social media last week that he was delaying nomination to become national intelligence director. Republican leaders had hoped to quickly confirm Clayton and circumvent Trump鈥檚 unpopular interim pick Bill Pulte, who has no known experience in the field.
In the same social media post, Trump said he wouldn’t sign a renewal of a key surveillance law unless Senate Republicans attach the SAVE America Act. That hardline approach has some support in the House, where a group of 25 Republicans has vowed to oppose all legislation until the voting bill moves forward.
Republicans could also use the luncheon to push Trump on the war in Iran and . Most lawmakers still have not been briefed about the deal.
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said there are a lot of questions about the Iran agreement, but added that Trump may not be able to talk publicly about the ongoing negotiations.
鈥淲e鈥檙e there to listen鈥� and to try and ensure that the rest of Trump鈥檚 term is successful, Rounds said. But that means 鈥渨e鈥檝e got to come out with a united team.鈥�
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Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.
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