President Donald Trump on Thursday went after members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus by name in a series of tweets questioning their support for his agenda.
Trump first thanked Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) for an editorial supporting the American Health Care Act, House Republicans’ failed bill to repeal and replace Obamacare.
Great op-ed from @RepKenBuck. Looks like some in the Freedom Caucus are helping me end #Obamacare. https://t.co/Y2vTnIBTBZ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2017
He then called out three members of the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus — Reps. Mark Meadows (R-NC), who chairs the caucus, and Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Raúl Labrador (R-ID), who are both founding members — in a tweet deleted minutes later.
Trump reposted that tweet shortly afterward, calling on the congressmen to “get on board” with his agenda to implement changes in health care and tax policy. The only difference between the posts was that Trump tagged Labrador’s Twitter account in the second one.
If @RepMarkMeadows, @Jim_Jordan and @Raul_Labrador would get on board we would have both great healthcare and massive tax cuts & reform.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2017
Where are @RepMarkMeadows, @Jim_Jordan and @Raul_Labrador?#RepealANDReplace #Obamacare
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2017
In a tweet posted Friday before an increasingly uncertain vote on the repeal bill, which was pulled later the same day, Trump tried to push the House Freedom Caucus to support the legislation.
“The Freedom Caucus, which is very pro-life and against Planned Parenthood, allows P.P. to continue if they stop this plan!” he posted.
Republican leaders pulled the bill in the face of an impending defeat, and Trump on Sunday blamed the caucus and two other conservative groups for the bill’s implosion, though its passage was stymied by moderate Republican defections as well.
Trump took that rhetoric a step further on Thursday morning when he vowed to “fight” the House Freedom Caucus “in 2018” — when the next round of midterm elections will take place.
