WASHINGTON _ Donald Trump huddled with congressional Republicans on Thursday in an attempt to build party unity amid worries over his campaign, but unanimity appeared elusive despite a warm welcome.
Trump, seeking to court party skeptics before the Republican convention kicks off in less than two weeks, met with House of Representatives and Senate Republicans behind closed doors, with members offering mixed reviews of the candidate, who has struggled to galvanize party support amid worries that he's sabotaged his own campaign.
Some senators emerged from the hourlong Senate meeting describing it as tense at times; others said it was generally cordial and even upbeat.
"I'm glad that everyone else got to see what I got to see this last Tuesday," said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who appeared with Trump in North Carolina earlier this week and praised him.
"He helped himself quite a bit," said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.
Not, reportedly, with Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and perhaps Ben Sasse, R-Neb., who have said they can't support Trump. Trump and Flake reportedly got into a tense exchange, and Sasse left the meeting without talking to reporters outside.
But Corker, who this week took himself out of vice presidential consideration, said "people were able to develop an understanding of Trump" at the meeting.
Thirty Senate Republicans are not facing re-election this year, and many represent states where Trump won primaries.
"We have a guy who won Mississippi and Michigan the same day. When does that happen?" asked Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga.
Trump spoke briefly and took questions, and apparently little was said about recent controversies involving the use of an apparent Jewish star in an anti-Hillary Clinton tweet, among other things.
"Once people get to know him they'll have a different view of who he is," said Corker. "When you just see snippets on TV or online out of a 60-minute speech, people get a very different impression."
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott said the senators did not talk about Trump's tone, which has unnerved many Republicans. But Scott said, "From my perspective, I think we've been making progress in the right direction. I think we've seen the process of unification start."
The senators were more eager to find common ground, notably on the economy and health care. "It was all about how we unify," said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.
Among those not attending were some members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which was holding a hearing on NATO and Russia security. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was presiding over the Senate at the time of the meeting.
Trump had met earlier with about 200 House Republicans. Accompanied by his daughter Ivanka, he was introduced to the gathering by CNBC host Larry Kudlow. Some Republicans who had attended the meeting said Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who has been critical of some of Trump's statements and actions, bantered and joked.
Trump's House supporters said the meeting offered skeptics a chance to listen to Trump firsthand.
"There're a lot of things people are going to learn about Trump, and they are going to be very, very pleased," said Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, who endorsed Trump in May. "I think Trump feels there is a lack of fairness about showing him the way he truly is, and crowds, when they are around him, I think, come away with a different impression."
He said Trump was "very forthright. He was very much speaking about what he stands for, and what he stands for is making America great."
Lawmakers said Trump didn't discuss the latest controversy his campaign has created _ over the retweet of a meme critical of Clinton that included an apparent Star of David _ nor was he asked about it. He also didn't say anything about his vice presidential search, even as several potential picks have taken themselves out of the running.
Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., said he would likely support the Republican presidential nominee but still had concerns about Trump's remarks and the billionaire real estate mogul's mastery of facts.
"He can be fairly casual with facts," Sanford said. "Facts matter in the deliberation of ideas. At times, what concerns those of us who come from a policy background is in the way he's loose with facts."
Sanford said he remained alarmed by some of Trump's behavior on the campaign trail. "The idea of saying, 'Go ahead. I wish I could hit you in the face,' or 'If you want, I'll pay your legal fees,' that's new territory, and I think that's amazingly dangerous and alarming territory in the 21st century," he said.
"I get people's frustration, the way they want change, but some of the ways in which he's harnessed that energy I think are destructive and dangerous," he added.
Sanford said the room was "generally receptive" of Trump, but "there are folks that still have some questions. I remain one of them based on tone and tenor."
Still, even Trump skeptics such as Sanford said the prospect of the next president having up to three Supreme Court picks made for a unifying factor for Republicans.
"It's a tough choice," Sanford said. "Whoever the next nominee is is probably going to appoint three Supreme Court justices. If you care about the composition of the court, that alone will push you there."
Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., a Trump supporter, said Trump complained that the media twisted his words Tuesday about the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Speaking in Raleigh, N.C., Trump said Saddam was a "bad guy" but complimented him on his handling of terrorists.
"He was a bad guy _ really bad guy," Trump said Tuesday. "But you know what he did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good. They didn't read them rights. They didn't talk. They were terrorists. Over. Today, Iraq is Harvard for terrorism."
DesJarlais said Trump sought to clarify that he wasn't seeking to praise the strongman: "He was using him as an example."
"Trump has a unique lack of filter when he speaks," DesJarlais said. "He's often left having people explain what he meant, not what he said."
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said Trump's Saddam comments left him cold.
"It was awkward. It was really awkward," Kinzinger said. "I'm not a 'never Trump' guy. I'm a Republican; I want to support the nominee, ultimately. But things like the Saddam Hussein comment are not helping me get there."
"There was a lack of enthusiasm. You could feel it," Kinzinger added.
Trump's appearance came hours after he infuriated some Republicans by deviating from prepared remarks criticizing Clinton to deliver a heated and lengthy defense of a retweet he'd sent Saturday that critics have assailed as anti-Semitic. Ryan and others have criticized the retweet, which featured Clinton, a pile of money and what appeared to be a Star of David.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Cincinnati, Trump said the six-pointed star was representative of a sheriff's badge and that it was his critics who were racist.
The detour from the Clinton critique included a defense of his remarks hailing Saddam.
Democrats sought to take advantage of the Capitol Hill meeting, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee rolling out what it called an "unprecedented seven-figure national advertising campaign" targeting GOP lawmakers including California Reps. Jeff Denham, David Valadao and Darrell Issa.
"If your Republican representative supports Trump, should they be representing you?" one of the ads asks. They are set to air on cable television and the internet beginning Monday.
A few dozen protesters stood across the street from the House meeting, holding poster-sized digitally altered images of Ryan and vulnerable Republican senators such as Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Rob Portman of Ohio and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire wearing Trump's signature "Make America Great Again" caps.
