None, however, said they feared a Trump-backed primary opponent. If they’re successfully ousted in 2018, then so be it.

“If a primary challenger would serve this country better than me, then I’m certainly willing to entertain that,” Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) said after a reporter from The Hill read him the president’s tweet. “I think we can get along with the president. I think we’re the best friends the president has in this situation.”

Other HFC members made the point that Trump will need the Freedom Caucus’s support for other conservative priorities he wants to pursue in his first year in office.

“He will need to work with me on several other issues like tax reform,” Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) told The Hill. “He can’t get upset and alienate people because of a single issue. If so, it will be a long four years.”