Trump clashes with Senate Republicans over Iran war powers vote

Donald Trump’s closed-door lunch with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol turned into a shouting match over Iran, with Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana saying he lost his temper and the president raised his voice. Trump called Cassidy a lunatic as the two argued over a war powers vote.

The confrontation followed the Senate’s 50-48 approval on Tuesday of a Democrat-led war powers resolution aimed at limiting Trump’s ability to wage war in Iran. Four Republicans voted with Democrats, two Republicans were absent, and the measure carried only symbolic force. Cassidy was one of the four Republicans who backed it.

Inside the lunch, Cassidy tried to tell Trump he should sit down, and Trump told Cassidy to sit down. Cassidy called Trump “brother,” and Trump answered that he was not his brother. Senate Majority Leader John Thune stepped in to de-escalate the dispute as other senators joined in to cool tempers.

Cassidy later said he had matched Trump’s tone and volume and made clear he did not apologize for standing up to the president.

Trump delayed signing a bipartisan housing reform bill until Congress passed his SAVE America Act. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska criticized the delay after arriving late because of a previously scheduled event, saying it was not helpful and that if Trump did not have the votes, he did not have the votes.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville called it “halftime talk,” while Sen. Kevin Cramer said Trump sounded disappointed over the Iran vote but not as angry as he might have expected. Trump had backed Rep. Julia Letlow in Louisiana’s Republican Senate primary earlier in 2026, and Cassidy did not advance to the runoff. Trump later said that likely ended Cassidy’s political career.