Donald Trump tried to take credit for new data showing a decline in cancer deaths, but the American Cancer Society (ACS) was quick to shoot down his victory lap.
According to a new ACS report, cancer deaths saw the largest single-year drop from 2016 to 2017, falling overall for the 26th year in a row.
Trump, of course, took credit for the news, saying in a tweet, “A lot of good news coming out of this Administration.”
U.S. Cancer Death Rate Lowest In Recorded History! A lot of good news coming out of this Administration.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2020
Despite Trump’s fantasy that he swept into office and single-handedly cured cancer, the American Cancer Society was quick to tell Trump he had nothing to do with the decline in deaths.
According to CNN, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Gary M. Reedy said nothing done by the Trump administration has contributed to the decline in cancer deaths.
“Since taking office, the president has signed multiple spending bills that have included increases in funding for cancer research at the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute — though the impact of those increases are not reflected in the data contained in this report,” he said, according to the reporting.
The American Cancer Society urges Trump to increase access to health care
Not only did the American Cancer Society slam Trump for taking credit for a decline in cancer deaths, but the group also urged him to increase access to health care in America – the opposite of what he’s done over the past three years with his constant assault on the Affordable Care Act.
“The administration has an opportunity to significantly impact future declines in both cancer incidence and mortality by increasing access to comprehensive health care, supporting robust and sustained increases in federal funding for cancer research and passing and implementing evidence-based tobacco control policies,” Reedy said.
After three years of waging war on health care in America, Donald Trump is the last person who should be taking credit for the ACS’s findings.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter
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.