Dozens of House and Senate Republicans touted party unity after Donald Trump’s pair of appearances with them on Capitol Hill Thursday. But as details about the meetings leaked out, it became clear that the gatherings did little but paper over deep internal GOP divisions that show no signs of abating.

House members already wary of Trump were even more skeptical after seeing him in person, their concerns about his standing among Latinos and praise for Saddam Hussein undiminished. It was even worse with senators, as Trump seemed more intent at times on settling scores than mending fences, calling out his critics in front of the bulk of the Senate GOP Conference.


The presumptive GOP presidential nominee tweaked Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska for opposing him and insinuated that Sen. Jeff Flake’s criticism would hurt his reelection prospects in Arizona. He also singled out Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, another Trump critic, as certain to lose in November, even though Kirk wasn’t in the room to defend himself.

“I’ve run for election in Illinois six times now and won every time,” Kirk said in an interview afterward. He called Trump’s attacks on fellow Republicans an example of “the bully side of him. Unnecessary red-on-red violence there.”

Indeed, a pair of meetings designed to foster togetherness heading into the GOP convention in less than two weeks appeared to do everything but. Reluctant supporters are still on the fence: Vulnerable incumbent Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) said afterward he’s still “waiting and seeing” how Trump runs his campaign.

“It was not a persuasive conversation for me,” said Rep. Reid Ribble (R-Wis.).

Party leaders and many rank-and-file members tried to downplay negativity between GOP lawmakers and Trump. But once again they were put in the awkward position of defending Trump after controversial remarks — to their own colleagues, no less.

That “wasn’t what I saw. I didn’t hear the word ‘loser’ used,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) of a Washington Post account of Trump’s disses of Flake and Kirk.

“I wouldn’t say there was any tense exchange, even with Flake,” added Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska.

Despite the insistence that everything was fine, all anyone was talking about on Capitol Hill after the meeting was Trump’s attempts to put his critics in their place, after being granted a golden opportunity to show the likes of Flake and Sasse an olive branch.

Flake is up for reelection in 2018 and will be one of only two top targets for Democrats, along with Nevada Sen. Dean Heller. Both do not support Trump right now, mainly because of his claims of Mexicans bringing crime to the United States and criticism of a judge as biased because of his Mexican heritage.

Asked how he could be so relaxed after such a high-profile clash with his party’s own nominee, Flake responded: “I’m not up in November.”

As for Sasse, the loudest Trump critic in the Senate, the GOP standard-bearer said he "must want Hillary" instead. The barb, according to a Republican aide, came during a meandering monologue in which Trump touted his poll numbers and claimed inside knowledge about the potential Supreme Court picks of Hillary Clinton, whom Sasse also opposes.

Several senators up for reelection or with previous commitments at committee hearings skipped the meeting; it was also the first time many GOP senators were in the same room with Trump.

There were fewer overt fireworks a few blocks away at the Capitol Hill Club, where House Republicans and Trump were less adversarial. It was a much larger group, and Trump’s presentation reflected that: He threw them red meat by slamming Obamacare, talking about beefing up the military and insisting his comments praising Saddam have been taken out of context.

The contours of the presentation were broad, akin to a political pep rally rather than trying to resolve real differences among Republicans.

"It felt like the same stuff. I didn't hear anything new that he hasn't said while stomping around,” said Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), who prefers Trump to Clinton.

Trump's praise for Saddam as an expert killer of terrorists, though, was hard for many Republicans to swallow, particularly veterans.

"Not helping me to get there,” said Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, an Air Force veteran. “I have a hard time getting there because I’m an American before I’m a Republican.”

Attempts to pin down Trump on his penchant for controversy were brushed aside with bromides. When one House Republican asked Trump if he understood that his comments about Hispanics were “not helpful,” he responded that “Hispanics love him,” according to moderate Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania.

“Look, I’ve said before that I’ve been concerned about his many incendiary comments, his lack of policy specificity. That was my belief walking into the meeting. That’s still my belief right now,” Dent said.

Those reactions didn’t surprise even Trump’s strongest backers. Everyone in the GOP is digging in — albeit on different sides.

"The people who were already predisposed to liking the nominee thought he was great, and the ones who are not disposed to liking him, didn't think he was great," said Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, a top Trump backer. "But at least he was here … that in and of itself is significant."

There was incremental progress among some skeptics who want to hear about Trump’s vision for the country, namely in policy prescriptions he would push as president. Senators asked him about taxes, poverty, the Supreme Court, immigration and trade — and some of them seemed reassured by his answers.

“I don’t like the tone and the way that he carries the campaign, that’s not my style. I want to focus more on policy. Today was the first day that I was in a conversation with him where it was more about policy than it was about personality,” said Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, who has not endorsed Trump.

But Trump didn't commit to senators’ wishes, either. One senator who is up in November, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, pressed Trump to embrace the policy platform that House Speaker Paul Ryan unveiled last month.

But when asked if Trump got on board, Johnson replied, “Maybe not specifically.”

Several senators, including Flake, said the internal GOP battles took up about three minutes of a discussion that ran longer than an hour. The attention on conflict, Trump backers said, overshadows the otherwise productive meeting.

“I firmly believe that those gaps will be completely erased by the time we’re at the convention. I think it will be a nonstory,” insisted Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. “We’re on a trajectory for exactly where we need to be.”

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who has been mostly mum on Trump after losing to him in the presidential primary race, agreed Thursday to speak at the convention after meeting privately with the presumptive nominee.

But that good news for Trump came along with some bad: Cruz still hasn’t committed to endorsing him.