President Donald Trump is suggesting he will defer his push for a Republican healthcare plan to replace the Affordable Care Act until after 2020.
Trump tweeted late Monday that Congress will vote on a GOP plan after the elections, “when Republicans hold the Senate & win back the House.”
His long-term plan with the message: Turn the GOP into the “party of healthcare.” But for right now, he’s preaching patience to his fellow GOP constituents.
“We are working very hard on that,” Trump said as he was heading out to a Michigan rally.
He said Republicans “are going to work together to come up with something that’s really spectacular.”
In his late-Monday tweets, Trump claimed Republicans are developing a plan with cheaper premiums and deductibles that “will be truly great HealthCare that will work for America.”
But for right now, he’s preaching patience to his fellow GOP constituents. After all, Republicans don’t have a comprehensive replacement plan for the current healthcare law, “Obamacare.” With Democrats controlling the House, any attempt to dismantle the law could not pass Congress.
Trump’s effort to repeal former President Barack Obama’s healthcare law narrowly failed in the Senate in 2017. And while Republicans gained Senate seats last fall, there’s no indication that GOP senators want another fight over repealing “Obamacare,” particularly not those up for re-election next year.
And that’s not necessarily the worst thing.
Trump and the GOP are riding a popularity wave after being vindicated by the Mueller report. That dark cloud was a major issue for Democrats ahead of 2020; they’d banked on it to take back the presidency and the Senate.
Simply put, Trump is winning on key issues. With that conspiracy evaporated, Trump and the conservative base look primed to head into 2020 with a good economy, expansive job growth and no witch hunt.
From there, with time and well-crafted legislation, they can fully implement a better, more efficient healthcare system for Americans.
Healthcare, especially protections for people with pre-existing conditions, resonates with voters and helped Democrats in the November elections. And Trump took note of that. Ideally, the GOP would look to duplicate what the Democrats have done and do it better for the 2020 midterms.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.