“I’ve said how I feel about the comment about Senator McCain. It was unconscionable. I think everybody involved should apologize,” said Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.) as he exited the lunch held at the U.S. Capitol. “But this was a policy meeting, right? It was policy-driven.”

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), who has had his own personal spats with Trump, added: “That’s not what we do in those meetings.”

The episode illustrated how reluctant most Republicans have become about directly challenging Trump, whose approval numbers have ticked up recently amid encouraging economic signs and a scheduled summit with North Korea. Trump is also viewed as a critical asset as the GOP seeks to retain House and Senate majorities in November.