Trump and Sen. Bill Cassidy clash over Iran war powers vote during Capitol Hill lunch

President Donald Trump and Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy engaged in a heated exchange during a private lunch with Senate GOP members on Wednesday. The dispute centered on a war powers resolution aimed at limiting further U.S. military action against Iran, which Cassidy had supported while Trump opposed it.

Cassidy told reporters he warned Trump that the public had not been fully briefed on the Iran situation and that the original objectives of the measure had not been met. He said Trump raised his voice and called him a “lunatic,” prompting Cassidy to raise his own voice before eventually sitting down to de-escalate.

After the lunch, Cassidy was invited to the White House for a briefing with Vice President J.D. Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff, after which he voted against a similar resolution later that night. Republicans blocked the measure.

Cassidy, who lost a Louisiana primary after voting to convict Trump in the Jan. 6 impeachment trial, said he thanked Vance and Witkoff for the briefing and emphasized the need for more information to be shared with Congress and the public.

Other GOP senators downplayed the incident. Sen. Roger Marshall said such confrontations were not unusual, while Sen. Tommy Tuberville called the exchange “halftime talk.” Sen. John Cornyn, whose own primary was recently challenged by a Trump-backed candidate, remarked that the meeting had been presented as a unity effort.

The White House did not comment on Cassidy’s account of the meeting.