Popular vote loser Donald Trump's trip to Capitol Hill Tuesday to strongarm recalcitrant House Republicans means one thing: Trumpcare is all his. Now that he's threatened political violence against its opponents, he owns it. But does he even care about it?
On the precipice of the meatiest legislative fight of his young presidency, Donald Trump is increasingly talking about health care like the vegetables of his agenda — the thing he must begrudgingly finish in order to get to what he really wants: tax cuts, trade deals and infrastructure.
At a rally here in Louisville, Trump time and again framed the passage of a repeal and replacement plan for President Barack Obama’s namesake health care law as a necessary step to achieve the rest of his ambitious agenda.[…]
The rally was not the first time Trump signaled his disinterest in health care compared with tax cuts or cutting trade deals. Last week in Nashville, Trump said, “I want to cut the hell out of taxes, but before I can do that — I would have loved to have put it first, to be honest.”
“Thursday is our chance to end Obamacare and the Obamacare catastrophe and begin delivering the reforms our people deserve,” Trump said Monday night. “Big thing.”
“Then we get the tax cuts.”
Trump's own lack of enthusiasm for this bill might just be one reason why his trip to the House on Tuesday doesn't seem to have worked.
He didn't get the Freedom Caucus, and lost a few more besides them. Like Republican Rep. Lou Barletta, who's not a Freedom maniac, but still thinks the bill is bad because maybe some undocumented kid might somehow get help. He says he "moved from a lean no to a no" after the Trump meeting.
In fact, there are now 26 Republicans saying they're opposed. Trump can only afford to lose 22. But this suggests that fellow Republicans get that Trump doesn't give a shit about this thing that they've spent eight years making their reason for living. So why should they help him with something everybody hates?
The House is scheduled to vote on Trumpcare on THURSDAY, MARCH 23. Even if you already called your member of Congress, do it again by calling the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Jam the phone lines, urge them to vote NO.