Senate Folds After Trump Shouting Session

A tense exchange among Republicans on Capitol Hill appears to have ended with President Donald Trump getting the result he wanted.

On Wednesday, Trump clashed with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana during a GOP luncheon, after Cassidy and three other Republican senators had supported a resolution from Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia aimed at limiting the president’s war powers regarding Iran.

The exchange was reportedly heated. But by late Wednesday, Trump was celebrating what he described as a major shift in the Senate vote.

“Wow!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The Senate just changed its vote on Iran from 50-48 against, to 50-47 for. Rand Paul and Bill Cassidy changed. Thank you to Leader John Thune, Lindsey Graham, Bernie Moreno, and all. This vote puts Iran on notice!”

Kaine’s resolution would have required Trump either to seek explicit congressional authorization for military action against Iran or to “remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities” against the country, according to Just the News.

At the Republican luncheon, Trump reportedly questioned why any Republican would support the war powers resolution.

Cassidy said he responded directly.

“I stood and said, ‘Is that a rhetorical question, or would you like to really know?’” he said.

From there, the conversation apparently turned into a shouting match between Trump and Cassidy.

The disagreement did not change the minds of Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Both voted with Democrats, as they had done the day before.

But Cassidy and Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky changed course. Paul voted present, while Cassidy also withdrew his support for the resolution.

Paul, who has long argued that Congress should reclaim its constitutional role in matters of war, said his broader view had not changed.