U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally to kick off the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP
Washington, United States: President Donald Trump jolted Republicans during a fiery appearance at the US Capitol on Wednesday, scrapping a housing bill signing ceremony and clashing behind closed doors with a party rebel who challenged him over the Iran war.
Trump had been expected to sign the bipartisan housing affordability package at a high-profile event, giving Republicans a chance to tout action on one of voters' biggest economic concerns ahead of November's midterm elections.
But the president abruptly cancelled the ceremony two hours beforehand, saying he would not sign the bill until Congress passed the SAVE America Act, his long-sought package of voting restrictions.
"Today's Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
The election measure would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification to cast a ballot. Democrats denounce it as an assault on voting rights, while Trump claims it is needed to protect elections.
The bill has already stalled in the Senate, where Republican leaders have warned Trump that it lacks the support needed to overcome the chamber's rules.
Trump, who still regularly repeats the false claim that he won the 2020 election, nevertheless kept pressing the issue as he went ahead with a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans.
The gathering turned combative when Trump challenged senators who had voted the previous day to rebuke him over the Iran war, according to US media reports.
Four Republicans joined Democrats in adopting a largely symbolic resolution directing Trump to end hostilities with Iran or seek congressional authorization to continue them.
Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana later told reporters that Trump asked why any Republican would support the measure.
"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 said, according to The Hill and CNN.
Cassidy lost a primary election in Louisiana in May to a Trump-backed Republican, meaning he is ineligible for re-election in November.
After leaving the meeting, Trump still appeared irritated, telling reporters: "I don't like a few people, but that's okay -- I think you know who they are."
