>>> LET ME JUST TELL YOU EXACTLY WHAT MY MESSAGE IS.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL SOON
BE KNOWN AS THE PARTY OF HEALTH
CARE, YOU WATCH.
>> TO THAT POINT RIGHT THERE,
COMING OFF ARGUABLY WHAT WERE
TWO OF THE MORE POSITIVE NEWS
DAYS OF HIS PRESIDENCY.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
SURPRISED A LOT OF PEOPLE TODAY,
EVEN FOLKS WITHIN THE HOME TEAM,
WITH A MOVE TO OBLITERATE
OBAMACARE.
OBAMACARE. PARTS OF THE LAW WERE
UNCONSTITUTIONAL BUT WITH A TWO
SENTENCE LETTER RELEASED IN THE
DEAD OF NIGHT, THE DOJ DECLARED
THE WHOLE THING SHOULD BE THROWN
OUT.
OUT. IF SUCCESSFUL, OVER 20 MILLION
PEOPLE WILL LOSE THEIR HEALTH
CARE POLITICO CHARACTERIZED THE
MOVE AS A GIFT TO THE DEMOCRATS.
PHIL BUMP OFFERED THIS, IT’S
HARD TO OVERSTATE WHAT A STRANGE
POLITICAL DECISION THIS IS FOR
TRUMP.
TRUMP. HE’S UP FOR RE-ELECTION NEXT
YEAR, AND AS HE SHOWED IN 2016,
UNDERSTANDS THAT HEALTH CARE
COVERAGE IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE
TO VOTERS.
TO VOTERS. BUT ACCORDING TO THE DAILY
BEAST, OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS,
REPUBLICAN OFFICIALS HAVE
WATCHED IN HORROR AS THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION FULLY EMBRACED
THE REPEAL OF OBAMACARE.
HERE WITH US TO TALK ABOUT IT,
KELSEY SNELL.
KELSEY SNELL. CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER FOR NPR.
AND WE’RE HAPPY TO INTRODUCE TO
OUR AUDIENCE POLITICS REPORTER
FOR AXIOS.
FOR AXIOS. FACTORING IN THE REAL CHANCE OF
DEMOCRATIC OVERREACH I WANT TO
SHOW WHAT WHAT MAGGIE HABER MAN
SHOWED US AT THE TOP OF OUR
BROADCAST.
BROADCAST. WHY THE ACA SUIT WOULD BE FILED
ON THEIS DAY WE NEEDED TO CHANGE
THE SUBJECT.
THE SUBJECT. IS THIS THE GIFT TO THE
DEMOCRATS IT APPEARS TO BE?
>> IT ABSOLUTELY IS.
DEMOCRATS BASICALLY SAY THEY WON
THE HOUSE IN 2018 BY PRESENTING
VOTERS WITH A BINARY CHOICE.
DEMOCRATS SAID THEY WERE THE
PARTY PROTECTING PRE-EXISTING
CONDITIONS AND REPUBLICANS WERE
THE ONES THAT WANTED TO TAKE ALL
THAT AWAY.
THAT AWAY. THE PRESIDENT WITH THIS CHANGE
IN LEGAL STRATEGY IS ESSENTIALLY
SAYING, YES, THAT IS THE PARTY
THAT I WANT THIS PARTY TO BE, I
WANT TO BRING BACK THE
CONVERSATION ABOUT HEALTH CARE,
AND MAKE IT EASIER FOR DEMOCRATS
TO SET THAT MESSAGE GOING INTO
2020.
2020. THE DEMOCRATS ARE ALL TOO HAPPY
TO TAKE THAT AS AN ALTERNATIVE
ABOUT THE MUELLER REPORT AND THE
WAYS THAT DIDN’T MEET THEIR
EXPECTATIONS.
EXPECTATIONS. >> TRUMP QUOTING A FOX NEWS
POLL, HE’S UNDER WATER, AND THEN
THERE’S THE LIBRARY OF COMMENTS
THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS GIVEN
US ON THIS TOPIC, LET’S LISTEN
TO THAT, WE’LL DISCUSS IT ON THE
OTHER SIDE.
OTHER SIDE. >> WE SET UP SOME INCREDIBLE
HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS THAT ARE
FAR BETTER THAN OBAMACARE AND A
LOT LESS EXPENSIVE.
>> REPUBLICANS WILL ALWAYS
PROTECT PATIENTS WITH
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS.
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS. WE’RE DOING IT.
REPUBLICANS WILL ALWAYS PROTECT
PATIENTS WITH PRE-EXISTING
CONDITIONS, PLEASE REMEMBER
THAT.
THAT. REPUBLICANS WILL ALWAYS PROTECT
PATIENTS WITH PRE-EXISTING
CONDITIONS.
CONDITIONS. I WISH PEOPLE WOULD GET THAT
INTO THEIR HEADS.
>> WE’RE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER
EXCITING NEWS CONFERENCE OVER
THE NEXT THREE WEEKS, FOUR
WEEKS, TWO WEEKS?
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
ON HEALTH CARE.
WE HAVE GREAT HEALTH CARE.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING ON
HERE?
HERE? >> I THINK IT IS A REALLY
STRANGE POLITICAL STRATEGY,
EXCEPT FOR THE THREE CLIPS YOU
SHOWED IN A ROW, IN WHICH IT WAS
JUST A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE THE
NOVEMBER 2018 MIDTERM ELECTIONS,
IT WAS A LAST DITCH EFFORT BY
MANY CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS
RUNNING IN COMPETITIVE RACES
AROUND THE COUNTRY WERE SAYING,
OH, WE’RE GOING TO PROTECT
PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING
CONDITIONS, WE’VE GOT THIS, WE
ARE THE PARTY OF HEALTH CARE,
AND NOW YOU HEAR TRUMP SAYING
THAT AGAIN, WHICH IS A
RIDICULOUS CLAIM TO MAKE.
WE KNOW THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS
NOTHING MORE THAN THE PARTY OF
DONALD TRUMP RIGHT NOW.
IF HE DECIDES HE WANTS TO REPEAL
HEALTH CARE AT A TIME WHEN
DEMOCRATS ARE CALLING FOR
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE.
THAT PRESENTS A BINARY CHOICE TO
VOTERS IN 2020.
MAYBE THERE ARE NEW ANSWERED
DISAGREEMENTS AMONG DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR
PRESIDENT, ABOUT HOW THEY WILL
ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE,
I’M CHOOSING BETWEEN HEALTH CARE
AND NO HEALTH CARE.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING DONALD
TRUMP IS OWNING BY HIMSELF AS
THE DAILY BEAST ARTICLE YOU
MENTIONED EARLIER.
MENTIONED EARLIER. AS HE’S MAKING THIS EXECUTIVE
DECISION WITH NO PLAN FOR A
REPLACEMENT.
REPLACEMENT. >> AS YOU REMINDED US TODAY, I
HEARD YOU SAY IT, THIS COULD GO
AWAY, BECAUSE AFTER ALL WHAT
ABOUT THE MIDDLE CLASS TAX CUT
PROMISED DAYS BEFORE THE
MIDTERMS?
MIDTERMS? >> YES.
>> YES. YES.
YES. I’M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP,
WE’VE SEEN THIS TIME AND AGAIN.
THERE’S A CLEAR PATTERN OF
BEHAVIOR WITH DONALD TRUMP, THAT
FOR THE REPUBLICANS,
UNFORTUNATELY, TRICKLES DOWN TO
THEM IN CONGRESS, WHERE THEY
HAVE TO EXPLAIN THESE THINGS OR
SKPANING ON THESE THINGS,
WHETHER THAT’S NOW REPEALING
OBAMACARE OR THE AFFORDABLE CARE
ACT.
ACT. OR SAYING, THE WEEK BEFORE THE
MIDTERMS THAT HE’S GOING TO HAVE
A MIDDLE CLASS TAX CUT AFTER
REPORT AFTER REPORT CAME OUT
SHOWING THE GOP TAX LAW IS NOT
HELPING THOSE MIDDLE CLASS
VOTERS OR THOSE RURAL VOTERS
THAT SUPPORTED DONALD TRUMP AND
CARRIED HIM TO THE WHITE HOUSE
IN 2016 IN THE WAY HE PROMISED
THEM.
THEM. DOING SOMETHING LIKE HEALTH CARE
WHICH IS A TOP ISSUE POLLING
CONSISTENTLY AMONG VOTERS, IT’S
ALSO SOMETHING I WAS REMINDED
TODAY, DEMOCRATS SPENT HALF OF
THEIR ADVERTISEMENT MONEY ON
HEALTH CARE MESSAGES IN THE 2018
MIDTERM ELECTIONS.
MIDTERM ELECTIONS. THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE FOR BOTH
PARTIES, THE PRESIDENTS SIMPLY
RIPPING IT AWAY FROM
REPUBLICANS, NOT JUST HIMSELF
RUNNING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL
RE-ELECTION, BUT REPUBLICAN
CANDIDATES UP AND DOWN THE
TICKET WHO ARE RUNNING, AND WHO
ARE GOING TO HAVE TO ADDRESS
THIS ISSUE FOR THEMSELVES.
>> KELSEY, I WAS ALSO REMINDED,
POLITICIANS DON’T TEND TO BE
SUBTLE AND THEY TEND TO BE LOUSY
ACTORS.
ACTORS. NANCY PELOSI SAYING TO THE
WASHINGTON POST REPORTER, THIS
IS NEWS, WHEN SHE MADE HER LAST
STATEMENT ON IMPEACHMENT.
WELL NOW -- AND I’M
PARAPHRASING, ALL THE DEMOCRATS
ARE ABOUT HOW THIS IS JUST ABOUT
ISSUES FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
AND WE’RE NOT ANXIOUS TO TALK
ABOUT THE MUELLER REPORT.
THAT’S BEEN A SWITCH IN TWO
DAYS.
DAYS. >> IT HAS, AND IT’S SOMETHING
THEY REALLY DECIDED IN MEETING
YESTERDAY BEHIND CLOSED DOORS,
IT’S THIS WEEKLY LEADERSHIP
MEETING PELOSI HOLDS SHE WALKED
IN THE DOOR AND SAID, OKAY,
WE’RE GETTING BACK TO BASICS,
AND BASICS FOR DEMOCRATS.
WE SAW IT PLAY OUT IN THE PRESS
CONFERENCES -- BASICS FOR THEM
ARE TALKING ABOUT HEALTH CARE,
THEIR ANTI-CORRUPTION AND ETHICS
LEGISLATION THEY’RE WORKING ON.
AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND INFRASTRUCTURE. THOSE ARE THE THINGS THEY WANT
TO TALK ABOUT, THEY WANT TO TALK
ABOUT GOING BACK TO KITCHEN
TABLE ISSUES.
TABLE ISSUES. THEY THINK THAT VOTERS DIDN’T
CARE ABOUT RUSSIA TO BEGIN WITH,
AND THEY GOT SIDETRACKED.
THEY WANT TO RECLAIM THE WAY
THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT EVERYTHING
GOING-FORWARD.
GOING-FORWARD. THEY WANT IT TO BE ABOUT SETTING
UP POLICY DECISIONS, MAKING
VOTERS CHOOSE BETWEEN PRESIDENT
TRUMP AND WHAT HE WANTS TO DO ON
TRADE, ON INFRASTRUCTURE, HEALTH
CARE, VERSUS DEMOCRATS, THEY
THINK THEY WIN IN THESE SPACES
WHERE THEY TALK ABOUT POLICY.
AND WHETHER OR NOT THAT ACTUALLY
PLAYS OUT IN A SENATE RACE OR A
PRESIDENTIAL RACE WHICH IS
REALLY DIFFERENT THAN THE
POLITICS OF HOUSE RACES.
WHICH THEY WERE RUNNING TO GET
THE VOL THEY HAVE IN WASHINGTON