Schumer On Possibility Of Working With Trump On ACA: ‘It’s Not Me, It’s Him’

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks on Capitol Hill before President Donald Trump's speech to the nation, in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Sunday that it is “virtually impossible” for Democrats to work with President Donald Trump to improve Obamacare unless Trump is willing to change his position on repeal.

“We have ideas, they have ideas, to try to improve Obamacare. We never said it was perfect, we always said we’d work with them to improve it. We just said repeal was off the table,” Schumer said on ABC’s “This Week.”

He said that Trump never reached out to Democrats about the Republican bill which was pulled on Friday half an hour before its scheduled House floor vote. Trump blamed Democrats, among others, for the bill’s last-minute implosion.

“The President never called us once about this,” Schumer said.

He said that Trump is undermining himself with his threats to let Obamacare “implode completely.”

“For the President to say that he’ll destroy it or undermine it, that’s not presidential. That’s petulance,” Schumer said. “And it’s not going to work.”

He said Trump’s negotiations on the failed Republican bill demonstrated a “basic lack of competence.”

“You cannot run the presidency like you run a real estate deal,” Schumer said. “You can’t tweet your way through it, you can’t threaten and intimidate and say ‘I’ll walk away.’ It’s more complicated.”

“It doesn’t sound like you’re ready to be a real partner there,” George Stephanopoulos said.

“No, it’s not me, it’s him,” Schumer said. “It’s virtually impossible for us to work with him. If he changes, he could have a different presidency.”

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Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for pshah pshah says:

    Don’t make it so complicated.

    Just two words…Hastert rule.

    Get rid of that, then we can talk because it’s disenfranchises almost half the country from representation in the House.

  2. First off, Chuck, he didn’t say “implode.” To demonstrate his undying compassion he used the word “explode.”

    Secondly, Don’t give an inch. In fact, do everything in your power to facilitate more headlines like this.

    Thank you.
    s/America

  3. People blame the President when there are problems not the congressional minority. That’s just simple fact If Donnie doesn’t like that, he shouldn’t have taken the job.

  4. Avatar for cd cd says:

    “it doesn’t sound like you are ready to be a real partner there”

    really Stephanopolus? you been paying ANY attention since July 2015? Trump is an asshole, this is the way assholes get treated a lot of times,

  5. “It doesn’t sound like you’re ready to be a real partner there,” George Stephanopoulos said.

    {:facepalm:}

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