Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky excoriated the White House and President Donald Trump on Wednesday after saying he and his family had been disinvited from the annual White House picnic.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email on Wednesday.
The Context
Paul suggested he was snubbed from the picnic because of his staunch opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Trump-backed reconciliation package that’s under debate in the Senate.
The proposal delivers on Trump’s top priorities, including more funding for immigration and border security and cementing the tax cuts that were implemented as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
Paul is among a handful of congressional Republicans who have vehemently opposed the fiscal plan, with the Kentucky senator saying he will only consider supporting it if it does not raise the federal debt ceiling.
What To Know
The Kentucky Republican told reporters on Wednesday that his invitation to the White House picnic was rescinded, accusing the Trump administration of engaging in “petty vindictiveness” due to his opposition to Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
“And so how do they choose to respond? They are afraid of what I’m saying so they think they’re going to punish me, I can’t go to the picnic, as if somehow that’s going to make me more conciliatory,” Paul told reporters. “So it’s silly in a way, but it’s also just really sad that this is what it’s come to. But petty vindictiveness like this, I don’t know, it makes you wonder about the quality of people you’re dealing with.”
Paul said that his son, daughter-in-law and grandson were planning to attend the picnic with him. The GOP senator added that he believes every other lawmaker in Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, will be in attendance.
Rand Paul: I’ve just been told that I’ve been uninvited from the White House picnic. Every Democrat and Republican will be invited.I just find this incredibly petty. It really makes me lose a lot of the respect I had for Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/5jutaqX87Q
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 11, 2025
“I think I’m the first senator in the history of the United States to be uninvited from the White House picnic,” Paul said. “The White House is owned by the taxpayers, we all are members of it. Every Democrat will be invited. Every Republican will be invited. But I will be the only one disallowed to come on the grounds of the White House.”
“I just find this incredibly petty,” he said. “I mean, I have been, I think, nothing but polite to the president. I have been an intellectual opponent, a public policy opponent and he’s chosen now to un-invite me from the picnic and to say my grandson can’t come to the picnic. I just—the level of immaturity is beyond words.”
Paul said he’s not sure if the decision to cancel his invitation came from the president himself or another White House staffer.
In opposing the Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Paul has repeatedly emphasized that its $5 trillion debt ceiling increase is a “deal‑breaker,” calling it “not a conservative thing to do.”
He argued that raising the debt ceiling means it will inevitably be reached and warned that by supporting it, the GOP “will own the debt,” which will make Republicans responsible for the escalating deficit.
Other GOP senators have also opposed the measure in its current form, criticizing its affect on the deficit and the steep cuts to Medicaid and food aid that are meant to pay for Trump’s tax cuts.
What People Are Saying
Trump lambasted Paul over his opposition to the bill, writing on Truth Social earlier this month: “Rand Paul has very little understanding of the BBB, especially the tremendous GROWTH that is coming. He loves voting ‘NO’ on everything, he thinks it’s good politics, but it’s not. The BBB is a big WINNER!!!”
The president added in a follow-up post: “Rand votes NO on everything, but never has any practical or constructive ideas. His ideas are actually crazy (losers!). The people of Kentucky can’t stand him. This is a BIG GROWTH BILL!”
What Happens Next
Trump has given Congress a deadline of July 4 to get the bill to his desk, but a number of Senate Republicans have said they don’t believe it’s a realistic deadline.
Update 6/11/25, 9:57 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and context.
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