The lunch, Trump’s first visit with Senate Republicans on their turf at the Capitol, was supposed to continue that momentum and unity as the GOP gears up in earnest for tax reform.

But rather than looking forward, Trump talked largely about his own accomplishments in his first year and declined to give much direction on the nitty-gritty of policy, particularly on divisive issues where lawmakers had been clamoring for more direction.

There wasn’t much from Trump on what a tax overhaul should look like except that they should be focused on the middle class: “He said wealthy people don’t need the help,” recalled Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas, “but we need to get jobs back in this country which means we need to deal with the business rates, the corporate tax and pass-through rates.”