Trump-Cassidy Showdown Signals New GOP Senate Rebellion: 'Mad as a Murder Hornet' Over Iran War

A bipartisan housing bill that would have boosted home supply and lowered rents sat unsigned on President Donald Trump's desk Wednesday, hours before he stormed into a Senate Republican luncheon and called Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy a 'lunatic' over Iran.

The two moves, one on housing and the other on war, exposed the same fracture inside the Grand Old Party (GOP) that may decide whether bills touching American paycheques get signed before November's midterms. Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana told reporters the president was 'mad as a murder hornet about the war powers vote' that four Republicans backed a day earlier.

The roughly 70-minute closed-door lunch at the Capitol on 24 June 2026 turned into a shouting match. Cassidy refused to sit when ordered and called Trump his 'brother'. Trump replied he was not his 'brother', then called him a 'lunatic', according to multiple senators briefed on the room.

A Rebellion Driven by Polls, Not Principle

Cassidy joined Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul of Kentucky in voting Tuesday for a war powers resolution directing Trump to withdraw US troops from hostilities against Iran. The measure passed 50-48 with two Republican absences and does not carry the force of law.

What links the four defectors is not ideology but maths. Each represents a state where approval of Trump's Iran war has slid below half. A PBS News/NPR/Marist survey from 8 to 11 June found just 33% of Americans approve of his economic handling, his worst showing since Marist began asking the question in 2019. A separate CBS News poll the same week put the figure at 34%. Six in 10 disapprove of his handling of the Iran conflict, which began in February and has stretched past the four-week timeline the White House first promised.

The Housing Bill Held Hostage

The clash with Cassidy was the loudest moment of the day. The quieter one matters more for renters. Hours before the Capitol meeting, Trump cancelled the planned signing of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a measure that cleared the House 358-32 and would have expanded supply, sped up permits, and barred large institutional investors from buying additional single-family rental homes above a 349-unit threshold.

Trump posted on Truth Social that the signing was 'hereby cancelled' until Congress passes the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, a citizenship-and-voter-identification measure stuck behind a Democratic filibuster. He earlier called the housing package 'of minor importance' and labelled it a 'Warren-centric' bill after co-sponsor Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Why It Hits Your Wallet

The standoff matters because the same Senate fracture could now stall tax extenders, child tax credit renewal, and prescription drug caps queued for the autumn calendar. Trump is signalling he will hold bipartisan deals hostage until lawmakers move his election-integrity priorities, and Senate Republicans are showing they will defy him on issues that hurt their states.

Cassidy lost his Louisiana primary in May 2026 to a Trump-endorsed challenger, becoming the first incumbent senator to lose a primary in 14 years. Inside the lunchroom, Trump reminded him of it. Cassidy did not back down, telling reporters afterwards he is 'not going to be bullied' when asking questions on behalf of constituents.

What Happens Next

Cassidy said Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff invited him to the White House for a fuller Iran briefing later Wednesday, signalling the administration may try to contain the rebellion. Senator John Cornyn of Texas, also a Trump-backed primary loser this cycle, summed up the mood drily. The president, he said, 'closed by preaching unity, but he spent the entire hour talking about things which were not exactly unified'.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act remains unsigned, and a 10-day veto window now looms. Congress can override Trump with a two-thirds vote in both chambers, a number the Wednesday tallies suggest is reachable.