House Republicans are offering hilariously transparent excuses to avoid meeting with Trump

House Republicans' excuses for skipping their Thursday meeting with Donald Trump are about as good as the kid without a pet saying his dog ate his homework. For instance, Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) gave the painfully vague excuse of a "longstanding appointment downtown." Another GOP lawmaker insisted he had a scheduled doctor's visit at the time the party's presumptive nominee was slated to meet with congressional Republicans on Capitol Hill. And, Politico reports, another lawmaker mysteriously had a "breakfast meeting" pop up on his schedule:
A third [congressman] said he had a "breakfast meeting." The member — who asked not to be named — then pulled out his schedule for Thursday morning. When he saw that there wasn't any event on his schedule, the member took out a pen and wrote "Breakfast meeting" on it. "See, I have one!" he joked. [Politico]
Granted, there are plenty of House Republicans who are planning to show up to the meeting, and some even see it as a "positive step," Politico reports. But still, the implications are grave: If Trump can't even get members of his own political party to show up for a morning meeting, how does he plan to get them to show up in November?
Read the full story on what Politico calls the "biggest day of the election cycle so far" for congressional Republicans here.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 darkly funny cartoons about Israel blocking aid to Gaza
Cartoons Artists take on forcing famine, avoiding aid, and more
-
The easy elegance of Cap Ferret
The Week Recommends 'Elemental and otherworldly' destination is loved for its natural beauty
-
Volodymyr Zelenskyy: flirting with authoritarianism?
Talking Point Ukraine's president is facing first major domestic unrest since the Russian invasion, over plans to water down the country's anti-corruption agencies
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein