Much to the horror of fellow Republicans, Donald Trump decided that the 2020 election is going to be all about Trumpcare. He's asking a federal court to declare the whole of the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. Does he have a plan? Sort of. He says he's asked Republican senators to figure it out.
Trump told reporters Thursday that he's reached out to Republicans John Barrasso of Wyoming, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, and Rick Scott of Florida to come up with something—Barrasso and Cassidy, presumably, because in previous lives they were medical doctors, and Scott because in a previous life he perpetrated the largest Medicare fraud in U.S. history. "They are going to work together, come up with something that's really spectacular," Trump said. "Maybe we'll even get support in the House from Democrats. But it's going to be far better than Obamacare." They will not get support from House Democrats and it won't be better than Obamacare. In 11 years, all the Republican brains put together, working really hard, came up with allowing insurers to sell insurance across state lines (which they don't really want to do) and turning Medicaid into a block grant so that millions of people could be dropped out of the program.
For their part, Barrasso and Scott just say they've talked to Trump. Cassidy didn't immediately respond to reporters. But that's all pretty much moot anyway, because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is telling Trump "thanks but no thanks." In an interview with Politico Thursday, McConnell puts it all on Trump. "I look forward to seeing what the president is proposing and what he can work out with the speaker," he said, getting in a little dig. "I am focusing on stopping the 'Democrats’ Medicare for none' scheme." Which he's also not doing. The only thing he's doing for the next year and a half is jamming through unqualified wingnut judges.
McConnell's definitely got self-preservation in mind here. He's up for re-election in 2020, and he learned from 2018—health care as an issue kills Republicans. The only advantage they can hope to eke out of the issue is scaring old people into thinking Democrats are going to take away their Medicare. McConnell is shockingly underwater in the polls in Kentucky, with 33 percent approval. The last thing he needs is to be saddled with Trump taking everyone's health care away.