John Cornyn

WASHINGTON – A month after President Donald Trump's endorsement helped doom Sen. John Cornyn's reelection bid, the two men found themselves in the same room Wednesday for a Senate Republican lunch.

There was no private conversation. Instead, Trump held forth for more than an hour as senators sparred over Iran and other issues that have exposed divisions within the GOP.

Cornyn told reporters afterwards there was no opportunity for a one-on-one chat with Trump. He described Trump’s remarks as “discursive,” which is a synonym for rambling, and characterized the affair as more lecture than conversation.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

“I listened,” Cornyn said. “He spoke for an hour and fifteen minutes.”

The Texan also said, "The president closed by preaching unity, but he spent the entire hour talking about things which were not exactly unifying.”

Florida Sen. Rick Scott invited Trump amid ongoing conflicts between the White House and many Senate Republicans, including consternation over the president’s acting director of national intelligence pick, a peace deal with Iran and a voter ID measure called the SAVE Act.

The lunch featured an intense back-and-forth about Iran between Trump and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who like Cornyn lost his primary after Trump backed his challenger.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

Cassidy told reporters he felt the need to defend his vote for a war powers resolution on Iran after Trump questioned it.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is one of the Iran hawks among Senate Republicans who have strongly criticized the deal.

Cruz declined to say much about the lunch other than to describe it as a “spirited conversation.”

Iran deal

Trump stopped to speak briefly with reporters before leaving the Capitol.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

Standing next to Scott and other Senate Republicans, including Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, he said it was a “really great meeting” and expressed pride in the party.

“We like our leader,” Trump said. “We like everybody, really, in the room. I don’t like a few people but that’s okay. I think you know who they are.”

He said the party is unified, factories are being built in the United States and the price of oil is falling.

“Iran is being very nice,” Trump said. “They’re agreeing to everything that I want and they have to. Otherwise we just go back and do what we have to do.”

The Iran deal has angered many Republican hawks such as Cruz, who said on his podcast last week it would result in a $300 billion windfall for Iran, which will use that money to murder Americans.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

Cruz said his objections stand, even if the money involved doesn’t come from the United States government.

“I don’t want a lunatic religious fanatic who chants death to America to receive $300 billion, where it comes from us or it comes from some other regional partners,” Cruz said on the podcast.

Trump recently responded to Cruz’s criticism, saying Iran is not in a good negotiating position after the U.S. military strikes against it and defending the deal.

“Anybody that’s been critical of it has to be educated, even if they’re friends of mine,” Trump said.

SAVE Act

In addition to pushing senators to support the Iran deal, Trump continues his campaign for them to eliminate filibuster rules that require 60 votes for most legislation.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

Ditching the filibuster would allow Republicans to pass the SAVE Act despite strong Democratic opposition. Cornyn’s defense of the filibuster became an issue during his campaign with Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Cornyn edged Paxton in the primary but fell short of a majority, triggering the runoff and hints that Trump might endorse the incumbent senator. Paxton said he’d consider withdrawing if the Senate ditched the filibuster and passed the SAVE Act.

Trump latched onto the idea and delayed any endorsement. Cornyn wrote an op-ed saying he would support filibuster “reform” in order to pass the SAVE Act.

Trump still endorsed Paxton the week before the runoff, and Paxton trounced Cornyn. He faces Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico in November.

Trump was scheduled to arrive at the Capitol before the lunch and sign a housing affordability bill that passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

Trump abruptly scrapped the signing ceremony and highlighted the SAVE Act, which has also been called the SAVE AMERICA Act.

“Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Cornyn suggested after the lunch the housing bill is likely to become law anyway, in part because enough lawmakers have supported it to override a veto.

Still, he questioned Trump’s decision to cancel what was supposed to be a victory lap to boost Republicans eager to show they’re taking action to address voters’ cost of living concerns.

“It confuses the message, which is we need to all get on the same page and I don't think that was particularly conducive,” Cornyn said.