Donald Trump is working to smooth over roadblocks to his massive legislative agenda this weekend at his Florida resort, starting with a lavish dinner Friday night with some of Speaker Mike Johnson’s biggest antagonists.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus encountered a lively and positive atmosphere at Mar-a-Lago, according to three Republicans familiar with the meeting. Billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk also made an appearance, posing for pictures with several lawmakers, they said.
“Unity was a huge part of the meeting,” said one of the Republicans. It also served as “an open forum for member’s ideas on cuts and reconciliation,” the person added, referring to the pending push from Trump and Johnson to assemble “one big, beautiful bill” addressing border security, energy production, and tax cuts, as well as massive spending offsets to keep it from exploding the deficit.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) notably attended. A chief GOP rebel, Roy recently clashed with Trump, who called for a more loyal Republican to challenge him in his next primary.
