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Trump’s defenders, and Trump himself, like to claim that he’s a master dealmaker. I don’t buy it. A master deal maker makes good deals. Trump as president seems desperate to make “any” deal.
Health care reform is the most glaring example. Does anyone really believe that Trump has any idea what the central issues are, let alone what specifically is in the House or Senate GOP bills?
Trump himself has promised that TrumpCare will have lower premiums and higher benefits. But neither the House nor Senate bills provide more benefits than Obamacare. And to the extent premiums are lower, it’s only because the benefits will be so much worse, including massively higher deductibles.
Look at the House GOP bill. It passes and the White House puts out a photo of Trump celebrating with his children and closest advisers. Then Trump holds an event at the White House, with all the GOP congressmen slapping each other on the back over the bill’s passage. A short time later, word leaks out that Trump thinks the bill is too mean, as CBO hast estimated the bill will lead to 23 million more uninsured. This, after Trump twice celebrated the bill’s passage.
Then we move to the Senate, where Trump apparently is promising a less-mean bill. The Senate bill, we ultimately find, will still lead to 22 million more uninsured. Yet Trump is promoting the Senate bill. Is there anything in the Senate bill to increase benefits, as promised by Trump? Nope.
There’s been other reporting that Trump is desperate for a health care deal simply to prove that he’s kept his promise. Not a promise as to the specifics of the replacement, just the promise to repeal Obamacare. The fact of a deal, any deal, is more important to Trump than the specifics.
And just imagine what Trump will be willing to give away in order to “strike a deal” with Putin.
When you’re dealing with legislation that impacts one-fifth of the economy, and the health and welfare of every American, the president should treat it as more than a simple trophy bride.
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