Republican Show of Unity With Trump Punctured by Some Discord
- Lawmakers say presumptive nominee welcomed warmly by most
- Trump had sharp exchanges with some skeptical senators
Donald Trump, presumptive Republican presidential nominee, arrives to meet with House Republicans at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, July 7, 2016. Some House Republicans came away from the meeting saying he can unify their party for the November election, though some members stayed away from the high-profile summit. Photographer: Pete Marovich/Bloomberg
Republicans in Congress emerged from private meetings with Donald Trump on Thursday trying to project unity and enthusiasm ahead of the November election, but there were also signs of continuing discord over the party’s controversial nominee.
Trump had sharp exchanges with two Republican senators who have declined to endorse him, Arizona’s Jeff Flake and Nebraska’s Ben Sasse, according to several senators in the meeting. A number of lawmakers didn’t attend. Trump also had harsh words for another Republican holdout, Mark Kirk of Illinois, who skipped the meeting and is facing a tough re-election.