Senate Republicans rallied behind President Donald Trump late Wednesday night, decisively rejecting a Democratic-led war powers resolution aimed at tying his hands in the ongoing conflict with Iran.The vote, held shortly before midnight, came hours after a tense closed-door meeting at the Capitol where Trump directly confronted GOP senators over a similar measure that had narrowly passed the day before.The resolution failed 47-50 with one senator voting “present,” reversing Tuesday’s 50-48 passage of a nearly identical House-approved measure.Four Republicans — Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul of Kentucky — had crossed party lines on Tuesday, joining nearly all Democrats.By Wednesday night, Cassidy and others shifted, delivering a clear victory for the president’s authority as commander-in-chief.
The dramatic turnaround followed a heated lunchtime meeting in which Trump berated senators for undermining his negotiations with Tehran.According to multiple accounts, Trump singled out Cassidy, exchanging sharp words in a confrontation that escalated when the Louisiana senator pressed for more transparency on the war’s progress and costs.Cassidy later recounted standing up and telling the president: “You have not told the American people what’s going on. It was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved.”Trump reportedly pushed back forcefully, emphasizing the need to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.Following the meeting, Cassidy received a White House briefing alongside Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff, after which he changed his position and voted against the resolution.President Trump celebrated the outcome on Truth Social, writing: “Wow! The Senate just changed its vote on Iran from 50-48 against, to 50-47 for… This vote puts Iran on notice!”He had earlier blasted the Tuesday vote, calling the four Republicans “losers” who “made my job more difficult” and provided “aid and comfort to the Enemy.”