Trump’s bullying proves very costly…to himself

May 4: On This Day In 2017

Premature Victory Lap: It was one of the proudest moments of Trump’s presidency—but it would prove short-lived.

One of Trump’s major campaign promises was to end the popular Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), the healthcare mandate which had been a signature accomplishment of the Obama Administration. At Trump’s urging, OTDI 2017, House Republicans passed their measure to get rid of it. Trump and his team celebrated with a party in the White House Rose Garden. “Make no mistake, this is a repeal and a replace of Obamacare. Make no mistake about it,” Trump bragged.

“This has really brought the Republican Party together,” he added.

An iconic thumbs down: For their Act to become law, it would also, of course, need to pass the Senate. But Trump’s American Health Care Act of 2017 turned out to be not-so-popular with many Americans, as it was projected to bump up the number of uninsured by more than 20 million over 10 years.

Two months later, when it came time for the Senate to vote on it, the projected outcome was too-close-to-call. The decisive moment came from Republican Sen. John McCain – a politician who, like Obama, had long been senselessly mocked by Trump. McCain was battling brain cancer, but he slowly made it into the well of the Senate chamber…and, to the surprise of many, placed an emphatic “thumbs down” on Trump’s plan. So the GOP’s Act was defeated, and that courageous moment served as a capstone on McCain’s career of public service.

So much for bringing the GOP together.

A key issue in the 2018 midterms: The next year, the GOP lost their majority in the House, in part, because of their attempts to end Obamacare.

Dive Deeper

• NBC has details on Trump’s premature victory lap

• Exit polling by CNN shows the importance of health care for voters
  

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Summary: Trump's bullying proves costly; GOP fails to repeal Obamacare and GOP loses House