Stung by the failure to achieve consensus on repealing Obamacare, President Donald Trump has taken out his frustration on the House Freedom Caucus, tweeting Thursday, “We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!”

In going after the Freedom Caucus, however, Trump is targeting lawmakers who mostly stuck with him during the presidential election, even as scores of their colleagues were running for cover over the “Access Hollywood” scandal in October.

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Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) made a veiled reference to the scandal when he responded with a tweet of his own: “Freedom Caucus stood with u when others ran. Remember who your real friends are. We’re trying to help u succeed.”

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It unquestionably was the low point of Trump’s campaign. Already behind in the polls to Democrat Hillary Clinton, he had to contend with an 11-year-old video showing him talking on the set of the entertainment show about grabbing women.

The bottom quickly fell out. Many prominent GOP senators and representative rescinded their endorsements. Others called on Trump to drop out of the race. Lawmakers in tough races found themselves under fire from their opponents for not condemning the GOP nominee harshly enough.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told a conference call of House Republicans that he no longer would campaign for Trump.

The New York Times published a list of more than 160 Republican leaders who were refusing to back him, including 51 who balked after the “Access Hollywood” tape surfaced.

But many Freedom Caucus members, while condemning the remarks, maintained their support and argued that the stakes of the race were too high to pull away.

Brent Bozell, chairman of ForAmerica, told reporters on a conference call Friday that it was a mistake for Trump to attack the Freedom Caucus.

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“Not only is he going to need the Freedom Caucus in virtually every single fight to come, but the irony is that the Freedom Caucus is going to be his strongest supporters in the battles ahead,” he said.

Here is a look at what some of the Freedom Caucus members, who also opposed the American Health Care Act, said about Trump when the going got tough:

  • Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the conservative caucus, not only maintained his endorsement for Trump but criticized Ryan for backing away. “A lot of people who believe so desperately that we need to put Donald Trump in the White House — they question the loyalty of the speaker,” he told radio host Tyler Cralle of WAAV in Wilmington, North Carolina.
  • Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) signed on to Trump’s campaign leadership team in Virginia just days after the scandal, even while Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) was calling on Trump to drop out and another Republican representative from the Old Dominion State, Rep Scott Rigell, had been opposing Trump since Mach 2016.[lz_related_box id=”621044″]
  • Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), issued a statement in the wake of the tape’s release, arguing that Trump was the best candidate to change “business as usual” in Washington. “That stands in sharp contrast to Clinton, who would be more of the same,” he stated. “My former colleague Mike Pence had a great line: ‘I’m a conservative and I’m not mad about it.’ When we are talking about the things that make America a special place, from our values and principles to our Constitution, we are connecting with the American people, and we are winning.”
  • Labrador said, “This campaign has never been about Donald Trump; it has been about the millions of people hungering and thirsting for new leadership.”
  • Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala) told AL.com at the time that Trump remained a better choice than Clinton. “Everything that we have seen about Donald Trump over the last three or four weeks and everything we will see should not be a surprise to any American voter,” he said. “The details may be a surprise but the overall scene should surprise nobody.”
  • Rep. Louie Gohmert said on Fox News that, “We need to get on board. It’s all in or it’s nothing.”
  • Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.) called Trump’s remarks “appalling” and said he was glad that the candidate apologized. “I support him because he realizes who his enemies are and can protect the country, help turn this economy around and get America headed back in the right direction.”