Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that he was not invited to lunch at the White House with other Republican senators, after President Trump noted his absence.
“I actually wasn’t invited to the White House lunch today, but that’s ok,” Paul posted on X.
Instead, Paul said he was having a “Liberty Caucus” lunch with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has also drawn Trump’s ire.
Trump hosted Republican senators in the Rose Garden on Tuesday to express his appreciation after the chamber advanced dozens of nominees, and to present a united front as the government shutdown drags into its fourth week.
At one point, Trump marveled at the attendance, noting only one senator was not there without naming them.
“We’re just missing one person. You’ll never guess who that it is,” Trump said. “He automatically votes no on everything. He thinks it’s good politics. It’s not good politics.”
Paul has been the lone Republican to vote against a government spending bill in recent weeks amid the shutdown, and he voted against the massive tax and spending bill that contained numerous Trump priorities earlier this year.
Trump lashed out at Paul in a social media post last week, calling him a “nasty liddle’ guy.”
In June, Paul said he had been uninvited from a White House picnic for lawmakers, only for Trump to say the senator was “of course” invited to attend.
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