Rand Paul’s invite to White House picnic yanked after Trump tax bill attacks: ‘Incredibly petty’ – Washington Examiner
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) expressed his frustration after the White House rescinded his invitation to the annual picnic, following his criticisms of President Donald Trump’s tax bill, which he argued would significantly increase the national debt. Paul stated that this action felt “incredibly petty” and emphasized his concerns about the country being in a state of increasing debt. He noted that he had attended numerous White House picnics in the past and had never been disinvited before, contrasting this with past administrations led by Barack Obama and Joe Biden. While Paul does not currently support Trump’s bill,he mentioned he could reconsider if certain provisions,such as the debt limit,were removed. He suggested that the decision to uninvite him might reflect a desire to silence dissenting voices within the party, specifically targeting senior adviser Stephen Miller.
Rand Paul’s invite to White House picnic yanked after Trump tax bill attacks: ‘Incredibly petty’
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) expressed bitterness at the White House’s decision to yank his invitation from the annual White House picnic after he attacked President Donald Trump‘s “big, beautiful bill.”
Paul had raised concerns about the spending in the bill, which the Congressional Budget Office said would add trillions to the national debt.
He said he has “lost a lot of respect” for Trump and added that the “level of immaturity is beyond words.”
“It’s just incredibly petty,” Paul told CNN outside the Capitol on Wednesday evening. “I’m arguing from a true belief and worry that our country is mired in debt and getting worse and they choose to react by uninviting my grandson to the picnic. I don’t know. I just think it really makes me lose a lot of respect I once had for Donald Trump.”
JUST IN – SENATOR RAND PAUL: “I’ve just been told that I’ve been uninvited from the [White House] picnic…every Democrat will be invited, every Republican invited, but I will be the only one disallowed. I just find this incredibly petty.”pic.twitter.com/rXTIDuXIeq
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 11, 2025
Paul said he planned to attend Thursday’s bipartisan picnic but the White House rescinded his invitation without explanation. He was going to attend it with his family.
He doesn’t currently plan to support the bill but said he could if it removed the debt limit. The demand has been rebuffed so far. Republicans can only afford to lose the support of three senators.
“It’s just, I think, a really sad day that this is the level of warfare they’ve stooped to,” Paul said. “But it’s also not very effective. It probably has the opposite result.”
Paul said it isn’t clear whether the directive came from Trump or aides but took a shot at top adviser Stephen Miller.
“You have people that are basically going around casually talking about getting rid of habeas corpus,” Paul said. “And the same people that are directing this campaign are the same people that casually would throw out parts of the Constitution and suspend habeas corpus. So, I think what it tells is they don’t like hearing me say stuff like that, and so they want to quiet me down. And it hasn’t worked, and so they’re going to try to attack me.”
The Kentucky Republican said he’s been to 10 White House picnics and has never been disinvited. “President Obama didn’t disinvite us. … Biden didn’t disinvite us, and we always did this,” Paul said. “It’s the Americans’ White House. We all pay for it.”
TWO REPUBLICAN SENATORS CRITICIZE 250TH ANNIVERSARY ARMY PARADE
Paul has been one of the most skeptical members of the Senate toward Trump, being one of the last GOP senators to endorse the president in the 2024 election, and recently compared Trump’s parade on Saturday for the Army’s 250th birthday to those of the Soviet Union and North Korea.
“I like Donald Trump, but when they want to act this way, it’s where they begin to lose a lot of America who just wonders, ‘Why does everything have to descend to this level?’” Paul said.
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