President Trump said on Fox News that he expects there to be “some really, really great additions and changes” to the bill that passed the House which would repeal and replace Obamacare.
Trump made the statement during an interview with Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro. She asked the president whether he agreed that his hands-on approach helped with the passage of the bill, the American Health Care Act,” through the House.
“I agree, but I will also say they’re great people,” he said during the interview that aired Saturday evening. “I made so many friends. I read one story where this was like an indoctrination of Trump. Because I didn’t know a lot. I was in business, and I didn’t know a lot of these congressmen and congresswomen. They’re great people. I met so many people that I really like.”
During the interview, Pirro asked Trump whether the news about the firing of former FBI Director James Comey would overshadow other news coming out about Trump’s White House, including the passage of the healthcare bill in the House, after the bill initially failed in March to gather enough votes for passage.
Trump disputed that the incident was an “initial failure,” adding that “it was just a continuation of a negotiation.”
Of the healthcare bill’s future in the Senate, Trump said: “I think the Senate is going to come up with some really, really great additions and changes, and we’re going to have a plan that’s going to be really great. And by the way, Obamacare is dead, it’s dying. I’ve been saying that for a long time. Now Aetna just pulled out, the big insurance company just pulled out, and we have to come up with a plan, because Obamacare is dead.”
Trump was referring to the fact that Aetna announced this week that it would no longer be offering coverage through the Obamacare exchanges. He and other Republicans have often pointed to the troubles the exchanges are having as evidence that the healthcare law isn’t working. Democrats have countered that the uncertainty Republicans have introduced by vowing to repeal and replace Obamacare is causing the fallout. Insurers have said both factors are responsible.
Trump directed his Twitter followers early Saturday afternoon to tune in to the program.
Will be interviewed by @JudgeJeanine on @FoxNews at 9:00 P.M. (Saturday night). Enjoy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2017
