Donald Trump has been branded a 'bully' after a furious screaming match with Republican senator Bill Cassidy over a vote to curb his war in Iran. The explosive row erupted behind closed doors during a meeting with Senate Republicans on Wednesday after the US president demanded to know why four members of his own party backed a war powers resolution aimed at forcing him to withdraw US troops from hostilities against Iran.
Cassidy challenges Trump over Iran conflict
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy said he challenged Trump over the conflict, accusing him of failing to keep Americans informed. 'I stood and said, 'You have not told the American people what’s going on. It was supposed to last four weeks, it's lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved and I want to know what’s going on,'' Cassidy recalled.
The criticism reportedly infuriated Trump, who began shouting across the room. Cassidy admitted he shouted back, saying: 'He did not particularly care for my comments, raised his voice. I lost my temper, that's not appropriate - it's the Irish in me. I matched his tone and his volume and it went back and forth.'
Heated confrontation and personal attack
According to Cassidy, the confrontation became so heated that another Republican senator seated behind him had to pull him back into his chair in an attempt to calm the situation. Trump then allegedly turned the exchange personal. 'What does President Trump say? 'Oh, you lost the election,' that sort of thing, whatever comes to mind to demean another person,' Cassidy said, referring to his recent primary defeat by a Trump-backed challenger.
Despite the clash, Cassidy insisted he had no regrets. 'It does not appear [...] that the course of this is going the way we were told,' he said. 'So I make no apologies for standing up to the president, trying to demand that more information be shared with the Senate and more information be shared with the American people.'
Broader Republican tensions over Iran war
The meeting had been arranged by Florida Senator Rick Scott, with Trump also expected to rally support for his proof-of-citizenship voting bill. The president's anger centred on the Senate's approval of a war powers resolution, backed by Cassidy and fellow Republicans Rand Paul, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski alongside Democrats, in a rare rebuke of his authority as commander in chief.
Trump appeared to still be seething as he left the meeting, telling reporters: 'I don't like a few people, but I think you know who they are.' The latest bust-up comes as tensions within the Republican Party continue to grow over Trump's handling of the Iran war. Cassidy has been one of the administration's most outspoken Republican critics since losing his primary last month and previously voted to convict Trump over his role in the January 6 Capitol riots in 2021.
