Trump makes case for ‘big, beautiful bill’ and cranks up pressure on Republicans

President calls for passage of signature tax bill but it's not yet clear whether Senate Republicans have sufficient votes

Donald Trump convened congressional leaders and cabinet secretaries at the White House on Thursday to make the case for passage of his marquee tax-and-spending bill, but it remains to be seen whether his pep talk will resolve a developing logjam that could threaten its passage through the Senate.

The president's intervention comes as the Senate majority leader, John Thune, mulls an initial vote on Trump's big, beautiful bill" on Friday, before a 4 July deadline Trump has imposed to have the legislation ready for his signature.