Thanking Republican senators for coming to the White House luncheon at the newly remodeled Rose Garden, President Donald Trump noted the conspicuous absence of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for being an automatic "no" on too many GOP priorities.
"And you know, we have everybody but one person here: You know, everybody showed up," Trump told the Senate GOP delegation, without saying Paul's name. "I figured you'd have like, I'd say 40 would have been a good number, right?
"We're just missing one person. You'll never guess who that is."
It was Paul, who has voted with most of the Senate Democrats on the shutdown – except for three times – to keep the longest full government shutdown going since it began on Oct. 1.
"He automatically votes no on everything," Trump lamented. "He thinks it's good politics.
"It's really not good politics. He's an automatic no."
Trump acknowledged his onetime ally was not blocked from attending if he had wanted to join the other 52 Senate Republicans at the White House Rose Garden lunch Tuesday.
"Look, if he wanted to come, I'd probably let him come, right?" Trump added. "I'd let him come, and begrudgingly, but we'd let him come."
Paul, appearing with NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday, acknowledged he is persona non grata with Trump right now.
"I don't take it too seriously," Paul told Kristen Welker, referring to Trump rebuking him on Truth Social as a "RINO" — Republican in name only. "Look, I've known the president for over a decade. I've played golf with him many, many times. I enjoy his company.
"I was one of his biggest defenders on impeachment and would do so again. I think he's one of the best presidents, if not the best president of my lifetime.
"But it doesn't mean I will sit quietly and say, Oh well, whatever you want to do."
In addition to supporting the Democrats' ongoing government shutdown, Paul would like to stop Trump's blowing up of drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and stop using tariffs to rebalance global trade.
"I was elected to have a voice, and so I continue to be a voice – like on the bombing of the Venezuelan boats, I think that's inappropriate," Paul added. "War with Venezuela without Congress' opinion or Congress' weighing in and authorization is inappropriate.
"The tariffs are bad for the economy, but it doesn't mean I dislike Donald Trump. So he gets mad at me sometimes, but I'm still one of his best supporters if he's willing to have it."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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