'Lunatic': Trump embroils in a shouting match with Republican senator over Iran war resolution

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday got embroiled in a shouting match with Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy during a closed-door meeting with Republican senators. Sources close to the matter told ABC News that the clash was surrounding the war powers resolution, which was passed on Tuesday in the US Senate, which was only passed after four Republicans broke ranks and voted with the Democrats.

“He was mad as a murder hornet,” Senator John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, said of the president’s mood during a closed-door lunch on Wednesday with GOP senators. Multiple sources described the clash between Trump and Cassidy as a shouting match.

According to the information obtained by ABC News, Senate Majority Leader John Thune attempted to intervene during the argument to de-escalate the matter. Not only this, but other senators also tried to jump in to ease the tensions over the resolution, which ultimately aims to limit Trump's ability to wage a war in Iran, but does not have the force of law.

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It is pertinent to note that Cassidy was one of the four GOP senators who voted with Democrats in favour of the resolution that was already passed in the House of Representatives earlier this month. Those votes, along with two Republican absences, allowed the resolution to pass by a 50-48 vote.

Trump calls Cassidy a 'lunatic'

According to ABC News, at one point in the argument, the American leader called the Republican senator "lunatic".  He was also upset about the absences, sources said. Briefly stopping to speak to the reporters after the meeting, Trump said that the meeting was "really great," though he did not comment on what was discussed behind closed doors.

"I think we had a really great meeting, and we're very proud of the party. We like our leader, we like everybody really in the room," Trump said. "I don't like a few people, but that's OK. I think you know who they are, but we -- I'll give you, I'll give you that information someday, but for the most part, we have a really well unified party, and I said it very strongly."

Meanwhile, two people who were present in the room told ABC News that Cassidy referred to Trump as "brother", but the president rejected those connotations. After coming out of the room, Cassidy also admitted that he lost his temper with Trump.

"He asked why anybody would vote for the War Powers Act? As he continued, I said, 'Is that a rhetorical question, or would you like to really know?' He said, 'I'd like to know.' I stood and said, '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, and I want to know what's going on,'" Cassidy told reporters.

"But that's kind of what I've been saying all along," the Republican continued. "I'm voting for war powers until I get a briefing, at which point, as I recall, he did not particularly care for my comments, raised his voice, I lost my temper, that's not appropriate, it's the Irish in me, but I again matched his tone and his volume, and it went back and forth. But at some point my guy said, 'It's alright, Bill, sit down,' and so I sat down and tried to de-escalate."

'No apologies'

Cassidy also made it clear that he made no apologies for standing up to the American president. "The American people just need to know what's going on with Iran, and I don't think there's been sufficient information shared with Congress or with the American people. So that was my message," he said.

When asked if he regretted how heated the meeting got, the Republican senator replied: "No, I'm not going to be bullied when I'm trying to get. for the American people." "This is not about me, it's not about the president, it's about the American people knowing what's going on, and right now there's just like it seems like we're being told different things by different people," he said.

"He may be right. I just think there needs to be more of a let's be open about it, and I'm not going to be bullied into silence when I'm sticking up for the American people," Cassidy furthered.

Interestingly, Cassidy was also one of the several Republicans who voted for the impeachment of Trump during his first term. In May, he lost his primary for re-election against a candidate recruited by Trump.

Cassidy said in the meeting that Trump made a dig at his loss. "You know, what does President Trump say? You know, 'Oh, you lost the election,' that sort of thing. You know, whatever you know comes to mind as to demean another person."