Trump on the ACA: Donald Trump’s Plan for Affordable Health Care Is “Getting Rid of It Entirely”

In response to Donald Trump saying he plans to get rid of the ACA entirely, DNC Rapid Response Director Alex Floyd released the following statement:

“Donald Trump’s plan for the millions of Americans who rely on the Affordable Care Act? Rip away their health care access and strip protections for preexisting conditions — or in his words, get ‘rid of it entirely.’ It’s hard to imagine that Trump would run on such an out-of-touch platform after voters overwhelmingly rejected his MAGA agenda in 2020, but if Trump can’t take a hint, voters will just have to give him one at the ballot box next November.”

Trump is hellbent on “decimat[ing]” the protections of the Affordable Care Act — and now is planning on “getting rid of it entirely.”

Trump: “We’ve really decimated Obamacare.”

“We’ve done a great job, but we’re going to be getting rid of it entirely.”  

As Trump pledges to repeal the ACA in a second term, here’s a recap of some of the most egregious statements he’s made about killing the program:

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.”

Trump: “Obamacare is a disaster. And I said, ‘We’re gonna do something about it.’”

Trump: “The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it’s not good Healthcare. I’m seriously looking at alternatives. We had a couple of Republican Senators who campaigned for 6 years against it, and then raised their hands not to terminate it. It was a low point for the Republican Party, but we should never give up!

Trump: “And what we’d like to do is totally kill [the ACA].

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.’” 

Trump does not care that the majority of Americans support access to affordable health care and protections for people with preexisting conditions.

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.”

Reminder: Trump spent his entire presidency trying (and failing) to get rid of the ACA while making 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.”

The Hill: “Insurance Experts: ObamaCare Mandate Repeal Driving Premium Increases.”

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.”