President Trump on Thursday mentioned that Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is, the truth is, invited to the White Home for the Congressional Picnic after the GOP senator and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) each mentioned they had been “uninvited” from the occasion amid their opposition to Trump’s tax lower and spending package deal.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) mentioned late Wednesday he deliberate to attend the picnic along with his spouse, son, daughter-in-law and 6-month-old grandson, however he was knowledgeable on Wednesday that he was now not welcome.
However Trump disputed that account, saying “of course” Paul and his “beautiful wife” had been invited partly as a result of he is without doubt one of the maintain outs on voting for Trump’s tax lower and spending package deal.
“He’s the toughest vote in the history of the U.S. Senate, but why wouldn’t he be? Besides, it gives me more time to get his Vote on the Great, Big, Beautiful Bill, one of the greatest and most important pieces of legislation ever put before our Senators & Congressmen/women,” Trump mentioned in a Fact Social Put up.
In the meantime, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), one other critic of the president’s “big, beautiful bill,” mentioned that the White Home had additionally declined to offer him tickets to the picnic.
“Incredibly petty & shortsighted of Trump’s staff to exclude Republicans from the annual White House picnic while inviting Pelosi and every Democrat,” Massie mentioned in a put up on X early Thursday morning.
Trump didn’t deal with Massie’s remarks in his Fact Social put up on Thursday. The Hill has reached out to the White Home about whether or not Massie and his household are invited.
The picnic is ready to happen on the White Home’s south garden at 7 p.m. on Thursday and is hosted by Trump and first girl Melania Trump. The White Home, below each Democratic and Republican presidents, has been internet hosting picnics for many years and alluring lawmakers from each events to mingle on the garden.
Each Massie — one among two Republicans within the Home to vote towards the invoice final month — and Paul have ripped the invoice’s deficit affect. The nonpartisan Congressional Funds Workplace estimated the proposed tax cuts within the plan would lower revenues by greater than $3.6 trillion over a decade, whereas measures to chop federal spending — together with reforms to Medicaid and Supplemental Vitamin Help Program —would cut back outlays by $1.2 trillion over the identical interval, leading to a internet deficit enhance of $2.4 trillion.
Paul had earlier instructed reporters that he didn’t know if the revoked invite got here from Trump himself or staffers round him, however mentioned he hoped it wasn’t straight from the president.
“I don’t know if this came from the president on down— let’s hope not, but if not it’s coming from his petty staffers who have been running a, sort of a paid influencer campaign against me for two weeks on Twitter,” Paul mentioned. “If you look at my Twitter, it’s just gobs and gobs of these people, we know they’re being paid because the White House, someone has told us the White House called them from the White House and offered them money to attack me online.”
Mychael Schnell contributed to this report.
