Donald Trump officially committed political suicide on Thursday, saying in a tweet that he is “very supportive” of the new Senate health care plan – legislation that would hurt millions of Americans.
The president said he looks forward to making the bill “very special.”
Tweet:
I am very supportive of the Senate #HealthcareBill. Look forward to making it really special! Remember, ObamaCare is dead.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 22, 2017
The tweet came hours after Republicans in the Senate finally unveiled the plan that was crafted behind closed doors without any committee hearings – unprecedented for legislation of this magnitude.
The plan, despite the GOP’s efforts to convince the American people otherwise, is very similar to the one that passed through the House of Representatives last month. According to a recent poll, that legislation is “the least popular major bill in decades.”
The Senate plan, which is arguably even worse, will likely share the same fate.
If the upper chamber of Congress does, in fact, find the votes to pass the bill – a measure that will end coverage for millions, while slashing Medicaid for the poor and cutting taxes for the wealthy –  the president’s tweet today guarantees that it will have his name on it until the end of time.
Going into next year’s midterm elections – and looking even further ahead to the 2020 presidential race – that will be devastating ramifications for Trump and his Republican allies in Congress.
Trump had said that he hopes the health care legislation will have “heart,” but what Republicans in the Senate produced on Thursday is as heartless as the unpopular House plan – and, if passed, it will mean a world of pain for millions of Americans, many of whom supported this president in last year’s election.
Trump’s praise of the legislation unveiled today is likely to doom him, especially if Republicans can find the votes to pass it.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
