With the Senate Republican health care bill barely hanging by a thread, President Donald Trump has been making calls in recent days, trying to woo GOP lawmakers who have deep reservations about the legislation.
One conservative senator that Trump reached out to Monday was GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah. The theme of that call? Trump’s supporters.
According to a Lee aide briefed on the conversation, which lasted about 10 to 15 minutes, the majority of the call was about the middle class voters who voted for Trump in 2016.
Trump emphasized how important it is to him that those voters get “relief” from the Republican health care bill. Lee agreed with Trump that front, the aide noted.
The President will also meet with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, at noon Tuesday, a senior Senate aide said.
The tone of the call with Lee was “positive,” the aide said. It was also a “high level” call, with the President not diving into specific policy details. This is similar to when Trump tried to win over House Republicans on their bill earlier this year — the President did not appear interested in in discussing detailed policy.
Trump spoke with several senators over the weekend, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday, including Paul, Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Shelley Moore-Capito of West Virginia.
Vice President Mike Pence will also host four senators Tuesday night for dinner at the Naval Observatory: Sens. James Lankford, Mike Lee, Ben Sasse and Tom Cotton (Lee has come out against the bill in its current form, while Lankford, Sasse and Cotton are undecided).