Left: U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks to reporters during a press conference, following the Republicans' weekly policy lunch, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S. June 9, 2026. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon
Right: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Heuer
President Donald Trump is slated to attend the Senate GOP’s Steering lunch event on Wednesday at the invitation of Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), an invite seen by other Republican lawmakers as “a slight” toward Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) amid the president’s ongoing spat with the chamber, Punchbowl News reported Monday.
Trump has sparked significant “chaos” for Senate Republicans in recent weeks, from derailing the caucus’ entire agenda last week by “canceling” a Senate confirmation hearing, to pushing his controversial voting ID bill the SAVE Act that Thune has said does not have the support to advance.
Trump has also attacked Senate Republicans regularly on social media for their refusal to eliminate the filibuster, the Senate rule that allows members to block bills that receive less than 60 votes, among other things, setting the stage for a potentially contentious lunch on Wednesday as the president comes “face-to-face with Republican senators at his weakest point yet.”
“They’re openly dismissing Trump’s legislative demands, expressing rare public anger over the Iran [memorandum of understanding], bucking his repeated calls to get rid of the filibuster and furious about his abrupt halting of the confirmation process for Jay Clayton, the nominee to be director of national intelligence,” Punchbowl News’ report reads.
“But this session has the potential to become a disaster for Senate Republican leaders. They see Trump’s fixation on the SAVE Act as a strategic misstep that could cost them their majority by turning the MAGA base against GOP candidates and incumbents.”
While Thune has dismissed calls to continue to push the SAVE Act – which he said the odds of advancing in the Senate were “slim to none” – Scott, a loyal Trump ally, has fiercely advocated for the bill to take center stage. As such, “Scott inviting Trump during this row with Thune is seen within the GOP Conference as a slight toward the South Dakota Republican,” Punchbowl News reported.