In response to Donald Trump’s calls to “totally kill” the Affordable Care Act, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:

“There’s no question that Donald Trump is serious about wanting to ‘totally kill’ the Affordable Care Act — just take a look at the last time he was in office. Not only did Trump repeatedly try to kill the law in Congress, but he also signed an executive order to stall ACA implementation, suspended a program to help stabilize insurance markets, and slashed funding designed to help people sign up for health care. Trump has made it clear: He will not stop until millions of hardworking Americans are kicked off of their health care — and voters won’t let that happen.”

WATCH: Donald Trump said his goal is to “totally kill” the ACA, which provides millions of Americans with the health care coverage they need.

Trump: “And what we’d like to do is totally kill [the ACA], but come up — before we do that — with something that’s great.”

As president, Trump repeatedly tried to undermine the ACA and make it harder for people to sign up for health care.

NPR: “The very day President Trump was sworn in — Jan. 20, 2017 — he signed an executive order instructing administration officials ‘to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay’ implementing parts of the Affordable Care Act, while Congress got ready to repeal and replace President Obama’s signature health law.” 

CNN: “Trump slashes funding that helps people sign up for Obamacare”

NBC News: “Affirming its disdain for ‘Obamacare,’ the Trump administration on Thursday announced sharp cuts in programs promoting health care enrollment under the Affordable Care Act for next year.

“Advertising will be cut from $100 million spent on 2017 sign-ups to $10 million, said Health and Human Services officials. Funding for consumer helpers called ‘navigators’ will also be cut, from $62.5 million for 2017, to $36.8 million for next year.”

New York Times: “The Trump administration said Saturday that it was suspending a program that pays billions of dollars to insurers to stabilize health insurance markets under the Affordable Care Act, a freeze that could increase uncertainty in the markets and drive up premiums this fall.”

NBC News: “Trump approved a surprise decision to push for the complete elimination of the Affordable Care Act in the courts. If it succeeds, millions of Americans will lose their private insurance or Medicaid coverage and the health care system would be thrown into chaos.”

Trump narrowly failed in his wildly unpopular plan to repeal the ACA and was unable to come up with any plans to replace this essential program.

The Guardian: “Trump claims ‘Obamacare is dead’ despite failure to repeal legislation”

The Hill: “Trump would not elaborate on how the plan would protect those with preexisting conditions. He claimed that ‘pieces’ of his plan had been released before, saying later that it ‘will’ be developed and suggesting that despite his assurances it has not been fully formed.”

ABC 11: “Trump says there’s ‘no very great rush’ to craft Republican health care alternative” 

Trump: “And I’ve said from day one, the best thing I could do is let ObamaCare die and then come in with a plan.”

Trump (July 2020): “You heard me yesterday, we’re signing a health care plan within two weeks.”

New York Times: “President-elect Donald J. Trump demanded on Tuesday that Congress immediately repeal the Affordable Care Act and pass another health law quickly. His remarks put Republicans in the nearly impossible position of having only weeks to replace a health law that took nearly two years to pass.”

The Hill: “Trump health chief: ‘Not a need’ for ObamaCare replacement plan right now”

Even though the American people soundly rejected his MAGA agenda in 2020, Trump is STILL hellbent on ripping away affordable health care and jeopardizing protections for people with preexisting conditions. 

Daily Beast: “Trump Revives Plan to Dismantle Obamacare if Elected in 2024”

NBC: “Trump, by contrast, stood by his support for a lawsuit headed to the Supreme Court that seeks to invalidate Obamacare. The justices will hear the case one week after Election Day.

“‘I would like to terminate Obamacare, come up with a brand new, beautiful health care,’ Trump said at the debate, which was moderated by NBC News’ Kristen Welker.”

The Hill: “In a Truth Social post, the leading GOP presidential candidate claimed he’s ‘seriously looking at alternatives’ to replace ObamaCare, and that the failure to repeal the health law in 2017 while he was in office was ‘a low point for the Republican Party.’” 

Washington Post: “But what’s clear is that an effort to ‘terminate’ Obamacare is not something Americans are pining for. Not only were the GOP’s efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare during Trump’s term historically unpopular, but the law also appears to have gotten more popular since then. … And when politicians talk of ending health insurance for tens of millions of Americans, dropping coverage of preexisting conditions and cutting Obamacare’s Medicaid funding, things get even dicier.”