EXCLUSIVE Insiders reveal the twisted reality of 'pick me' Republican rebels using Trump for clout

Daily Mail​

4 hours ago

Republican lawmakers have increasingly sought to show off their connections to the White House by going public about their private talks with the president.
A half dozen Republican aides spoke with the Daily Mail about a new trend developing where lawmakers dish on their chats with Trump to boost their own brand.
Speaker Mike Johnson 's minuscule 220 - 212 majority in the House has, so far, come together to back leadership on major votes - thereby advancing Trump's plans.
But that has not come with some last minute dramas as a cast of Republican House members declare their opposition to the group project - a type of goal-line stand to force the speaker to make concessions.
This has increasingly come in the form of a phone call with the president for some ambitious members who want to vent their concerns to the boss.
But that clout comes with a political cost, staffers tell the Daily Mail.
'Feels like it's the do-nothing, unimportant members of the House who do this the most,' one senior GOP congressional aide told the Daily Mail of the lawmakers scrambling for Trump's attention.
'It's a waste of the president's time to be refereeing Congress,' said another senior Republican staffer.
'We only have the majority because the voters want Congress to enact the Trump agenda.'
'Voters don't care about your so-called principled stand, they want you to vote with Trump,' they added.
But the White House says Trump welcomes the meetings since he is a negotiator and businessman at heart.
'The passage of one big, beautiful bill in the House is truly a testament to the President's ability to negotiate and get things across the finish line,' White House spokesman Harrison Fields told the Daily Mail.
'He's always been open to have conversations with any good faith actor who is willing to pick up the phone or call on directly or meet in person with the ultimate goal of finding common ground and getting the bill passed.'
And with Trump's landmark Big Beautiful Bill Act winding its way through Congress there have already been multiple Republicans walked off the ledge as they considered defecting and going against the president and Johnson's massive budget plan.
When the act was on the precipice of passing in late May, conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus, upset with the bill increasing the debt limit, told Johnson and Trump that they weren't going to budge.
Though after the holdouts were invited to the White House to meet privately along with Trump, the lawmakers flipped.
Multiple aides called out members of the House Freedom Caucus for opposing Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.'
HFC Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., was one of those who got a meeting with the president in the days leading up to the crucial vote.
He eventually voted 'present.'
HFC members Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., were also named by staffers as those 'principled' lawmakers willing to buck Trump's plan.
Just this year there have been numerous lawmakers posting on X or going on Fox News to share the details of how the president changed their vote at the last minute.
'President Trump and I spoke about our priorities, which include securing our border, reducing the debt and inflation, cutting our spending, and leading with fiscal responsibility,' Burchett said after deciding to cast a vote to advance the BBB in February.
He was among the 'pick me' members of the House GOP caucus who staff said are quick to stir up drama.
An article was later written about the lawmaker's decisive vote; Burchett also posted a selfie video on X explaining his decision too. That clip got over 250,000 views, and the Republican has since been posting more selfie-styled videos on his profile.
'Congressman Burchett unapologetically votes his conscience on every piece of legislation,' a spokesperson for the Republican told the Daily Mail.
Reps. Nancy Mace, Eric Burlison and Victoria Spartz were also on the list, according to multiple Republican aides.
One of the main complaints from staffers was how some GOP personalities are trying to showcase their individual exceptionalism while playing a team sport.
'These members are making this about themselves instead of the mission,' another GOP House staffer shared.
'Congress is a team effort, and instead of working collaboratively, they're trying to play the star - undermining the speaker and our leadership by running to Trump when they don't get their way.'
Some working to increase their national profiles are better at it than others, one senior aide shared.
'The Warren Davidsons and Mike Collins type members who don't do any real legislating and are otherwise just there for the clout and to try and get the attention of DJT,' they told the Daily Mail.
'On the flip side I do think there are members who actually can wage influence over policy from that angle.'
'Like I don't underestimate how much MTG can influence because she and Trump are close.'
Greene is seemingly one of the closest members to the president, having met with him multiple times this year, at least once at Mar-a-Lago and another time at the White House.
She has told the Daily Mail on multiple occasions there's 'no sunlight' between she and the president.
As the BBB weaves through the Senate it could be edited and later sent back to the House for a final vote before being transmitted to Trump's desk.
If it does, there will almost certainly be a list of Republicans that will want to chat with Trump before they vote.