Trump is headed for 'a schooling': CNN reporter warns of GOP downfall if Trumpcare dies
CNN senior Washington correspondent Brianna Keilar (Photo: Screen capture)
March 23, 2017
Repealing and replacing Obamacare was the number one promise Republicans and President Donald Trump made to their voters. Now it seems that promise is collapsing.
CNN's Gloria Borger speculates the GOP and Speaker Paul Ryan are frustrated with the Freedom Caucus, those in Congress that align themselves with the tea party. But CNN senior Washington correspondent Brianna Keilar noted that despite White House advisors being sympathetic to the Freedom Caucus, the bill costs more money to ensure fewer people. Borger went on to call the critical caucus "independent fiefdoms" who don't need Trump to get reelected.
"Don't forget, this was the number one promise of every single Republican in every single Congressional district in the country, was repeal and replace," Borger said. "And so, they have to weigh bucking Donald Trump against going home to their constituents and saying, 'You know what, we didn't do it for you.'"
Keilar predicted the failure would be a huge setback for Trump and a "schooling on how Washington Works." She went on to say that allegations that Obamacare will collapse on its own are absurd and would cause trouble in the end for the GOP if the collapse never manifests.
"If you listen to Donald Trump it makes it sound like it's an imminent danger of collapse. It isn't," she said. "It's something you can say so that then if you do, quote/unquote, repeal it or make changes you can say, 'Wow, we dodged a bullet there.' But if you wait and the bullet never comes — that a problem."
Watch the full discussion below: