Paul, a vocal opponent of Trump's tariff policy and the "Big Beautiful Bill" he's pushing Republicans to pass, said he'd planned to take his grandson to the event.

Even before his political career began, President Donald Trump had cultivated a reputation that he's a wheeling, dealing maverick of a business negotiator. (The president even famously wrote a book entitled,

President Donald Trump said Thursday that “of course” Sen. Rand Paul is invited to the annual congressional picnic later in the day, amid a dispute with the Kentucky Republican over his invite to the long-held bipartisan gathering.