As the fight over health care continues, it appears that Donald Trump might not be too upset if his bill doesn't become law. During a recent meeting with Republicans, the president revealed that it was alright if the Senate didn't pass the bill in question.
Trump on health care
The issue of health care has long been a major topic of discussion in the United States as it's one issue that has the ability to impact every single American.
Following Barack Obama's historic election back in 2008, it took just one year for the former president to sign the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, into law. In the years that followed, Obamacare would be met with a split partisan reaction, as Democrats mostly supported the new changes, with Republicans speaking out against the law on an almost daily basis. Following the election of Donald Trump, questions were raised over the future of Obamacare, which the former host of "The Apprentice" vowed to repeal and replace during the 2016 presidential election. With Trump in the White House and Republicans holding a majority control in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, many believe that it's only a matter of time before Obamacare is a thing of the past.
After hitting an initial roadblock of conservative opposition, House Republicans passed Trump's Health Care Bill onto the Senate last month, where it's received scathing reviews, including a negative score for the Congressional Budget Office. As reported by The Hill on June 27, Trump no longer seems upset if the bill is not successful.
According to The Hill, Donald Trump met with Republican senators on Tuesday after deciding to postpone a vote on his health care bill until after July 4. During the meeting, the president ensured them that it would be "OK" of the bill didn't pass.
"This will be great if we get it done," Donald Trump said, before adding, "if we don’t get it done, it’s just going to be something that we’re not going to like and that’s OK and I understand that very well." Trump did note that improving health care was important, but his rhetoric doesn't match what he's been saying in recent weeks, including tweets sent earlier in the day where he hit back at Obamacare.
Moving forward
One reason why Republicans likely pushed back the vote on health care is due to the negative reaction from the media and the American people. Unless the GOP are able to create a positive narrative around their bill, it's possible enough Republican senators step aside and refuse to give their much-needed support.