Story highlights The White House says Trump is playing golf with Sen. Rand Paul and budget director Mick Mulvaney

The outing marks renewed attempts on health care

(CNN) As President Donald Trump continues to pillory House conservatives who derailed efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, he took a different tack Sunday with one of the Republican senators who had been loudly egging them on, inviting Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul to play golf at one of his eponymous courses.

White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham confirmed that Trump was playing golf with Paul as well as White House budget director Mick Mulvaney at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia. It was the President's 14th trip to one of his courses in just over 10 weeks since taking office in January.

Grisham added that health care would be a big focus at discussions during the outing.

After the game was through, Paul told reporters he continued to be "very optimistic" about an agreement on repealing Obamacare, saying a deal was getting "closer and closer" and tweeting out the same.

I had a great time today with @realDonaldTrump and believe we are getting closer to an agreement on health care! — Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) April 2, 2017

The golf game with Paul came just more than a week after House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the American Health Care Act, a Trump-backed bill that would repeal and replace major parts of Obamacare, from consideration on the floor of the chamber. Paul was among the most outspoken opponents of the bill, which he derided as "Obamacare lite."

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