Trump Says Rand Paul is In Fact Invited to White House Picnic — After Senator Lashed Out and Claimed He’d Been Snubbed
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
President Donald Trump claimed in a Thursday post to Truth Social that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and his family are invited to the annual White House picnic despite the senator previously saying his invitation was rescinded.
In his post, the president said Paul showing up to the White House event will give him more time to try and win the senator over on his “Big Beautiful Bill.” Paul has been arguably the most vocal Republican critic of Trump’s budget, arguing that the spending cuts included are too small and raising the debt ceiling will only inevitably add to the deficit.
“Of course Senator Rand Paul and his beautiful wife and family are invited to the BIG White House Party tonight. 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 wrote. “It will help to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! I look forward to seeing Rand. The Party will be Great!”
Paul previously claimed this week in a discussion with CNN’s Manu Raju that he had been disinvited to the White House amid his opposition to Trump’s budget. The “Big Beautiful Bill” passed the House by just one vote and it now faces an uphill battle in the Senate thanks to Paul and a handful of other Republican critics.
“I think I’m the first senator in the history of the United States to be uninvited to the White House picnic,” Paul said, adding, “the level of immaturity is beyond words.”
The senator took things further and said he’d lost respect for the president.
“I’m arguing from a true belief and worry that our country is mired in debt and getting worse,” he said. “And they choose to react by uninviting my grandson to the picnic. I don’t know. I just think it really makes me lose a lot of respect I once had for Donald Trump.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) also claimed that his invitation to the annual White House picnic were withheld by Trump’s staff. He called the move “low class.” Like Paul, Massie is a budget hawk and viewed as one of the more Libtertarian-leaning Republicans in Congress.
“Incredibly petty & shortsighted of Trump’s staff to exclude Republicans from the annual White House picnic while inviting Pelosi and every Democrat. I always give my few tickets to my staff and their kids, but apparently this year my tickets have been withheld as well. Low class,” he wrote in response to Paul’s interview with Raju.
The president went after Paul recently over his opposition to his bill, claiming the people of Kentucky “can’t stand” the senator. Paul was first elected in 2010.
“Rand Paul has very little understanding of the BBB, especially the tremendous GROWTH that is coming. He loves voting ‘NO’ on everything, he thinks it’s good politics, but it’s not. The BBB is a big WINNER!!!” the president wrote on Truth Social.
