“Kill Obamacare!” isn’t something we’ve heard from Republicans in a while. But, just like the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump is determined to make us re-live the most draining fights in recent political history.
Over the weekend, Trump said that he wanted to repeal former President Barack Obama’s signature achievement, the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as “Obamacare.”
“The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it’s not good Healthcare. I’m seriously looking at alternatives,” wrote Trump on Truth Social. “We had a couple of Republican Senators who campaigned for 6 years against it, and then raised their hands not to terminate it. It was a low point for the Republican Party, but we should never give up!”
Trump was, of course, hinting at the epic political disaster that was the Obamacare repeal effort. The simplest explanation for why Republicans didn’t repeal the Affordable Care Act is that they didn’t have the votes within their own caucus. Three Republican Senators voted against repealing the health care law, including the infamous thumbs-down vote from the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
The bigger problem, of course, was that they couldn’t provide a feasible alternative that actually improved the health care system for Americans.
Despite the backlash on the right, the Affordable Care Act is popular: A KFF poll found that the majority of Americans support the reforms ushered in by the law. However, the law’s favorability is still underwater with Republicans.
Unsurprisingly, the White House jumped on Trump’s post — seizing an opportunity to note some of the stakes in the upcoming election.
Multiple news outlets have reported that the Biden campaign is pushing new advertisements highlighting the difference between his healthcare efforts and Trump’s statements on the Affordable Care Act. The campaign is also reportedly having former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speak with reporters about the consequences of rolling back the law’s reforms.