Trump insists GOP talks on replacing Obamacare are ongoing
A little more than a week after telling reporters he was moving on after failing to rally enough Republican support to repeal and replace Obamacare — and vowing to let former President Barack Obama’s health care law “explode” — President Trump lashed out at the “fake news media” for casting the negotiations as dead.
“Anybody (especially Fake News media) who thinks that Repeal & Replace of ObamaCare is dead does not know the love and strength in R Party!” Trump tweeted on Sunday. “Talks on Repealing and Replacing ObamaCare are, and have been, going on, and will continue until such time as a deal is hopefully struck.”
Anybody (especially Fake News media) who thinks that Repeal & Replace of ObamaCare is dead does not know the love and strength in R Party!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2017
Talks on Repealing and Replacing ObamaCare are, and have been, going on, and will continue until such time as a deal is hopefully struck.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2017
That did not appear to be the case last week.
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the White House was “not actively” involved in any renegotiations on the health care bill that was pulled by House Speaker Paul Ryan without a vote.
“Have we had some discussions and listened to ideas? Yes,” Spicer said. “Are we actively planning an immediate strategy? Not at this time.”
Hours later, Trump seemed to suggest he was ready to work with Democrats on health care, telling a roomful of senators from both sides of the aisle that he expects they would easily be able to reach a deal.
“I have no doubt that that’s going to happen very quickly,” Trump said at a bipartisan reception for senators and their spouses at the White House on Tuesday night. “That’s such an easy one.”
Ryan, though, bristled at the idea of Trump reaching across the aisle.
“I don’t want that to happen,” Ryan told “CBS This Morning” on Thursday. “About 90 percent of our members are for this bill. We’re not going to give up after seven years of dealing with this, after running on a plan all of last year, translating that plan into legislation, which is what this is.”
“If we don’t do this, then he’ll just go work with Democrats to try and change Obamacare, and that’s hardly a conservative thing,” Ryan added. “This is a can-do president who’s a business guy, and he wants to get things done. I know he wants to get things done with the Republican Congress, but if this Republican Congress allows the perfect to be the enemy of the good, I worry we’ll push the president into working with the Democrats. He’s been suggesting that as much.”
Trump himself told reporters that he was pivoting to tax reform after watching the GOP health care bill crash and burn.
“This really would’ve worked out better if we could’ve had Democrat support. Remember, we had no Democrat support,” he said. “So now we’re going to go for tax reform.”
Trump has since blamed the conservative House groups, such as the Freedom Caucus, for refusing to get in line.
On Saturday, Trump complained that Chuck Todd, the host of NBC’s “Meet The Press,” had not focused enough on the president’s evidence-free claim that Obama had ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower before the election.
“When will Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd and @NBCNews start talking about the Obama SURVEILLANCE SCANDAL and stop with the Fake Trump/Russia story?” Trump tweeted.
When will Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd and @NBCNews start talking about the Obama SURVEILLANCE SCANDAL and stop with the Fake Trump/Russia story?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2017
On Sunday’s “Meet The Press,” Todd asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell whether he had seen any indication that the Obama administration asked for surveillance of the Trump campaign.
“No,” McConnell said.
A few minutes later, Trump tweeted again.
“The real story turns out to be SURVEILLANCE and LEAKING!” the president declared. “Find the leakers.”
Read more from Yahoo News:
