Trump: McCain Voting Down Repeal Was ‘Tremendous Slap In The Face’ To GOP

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during his joint press conference with President Sauli Niinistö of the Republic of Finland, in the East Room of the White House, on Monday, August 28, 2017. (Photo by Cheriss May)(... U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during his joint press conference with President Sauli Niinistö of the Republic of Finland, in the East Room of the White House, on Monday, August 28, 2017. (Photo by Cheriss May)(Sipa via AP Images) MORE LESS
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During an interview Monday morning on the Alabama-based “Rick and Bubba” radio show, President Donald Trump blasted Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) over his last-minute vote against Obamacare repeal in August.

“What McCain has done is a tremendous slap in the face of the Republican Party, tremendous,” Trump said. “That’s the only reason we don’t have it, because of John McCain.”

Trump claimed he was key in persuading some holdouts to back the bill last go-around.

“I was given 10 people, and I turned every one of them around, the ones I spoke to, I turned them around. We had all the votes,” Trump said while discussing McCain’s 11th-hour opposition to the repeal legislation last month.

McCain has also come out against the Senate’s latest bill to repeal Obamacare, likely dooming that legislation as well. Trump noted this Tuesday morning, mentioning Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) as another likely “no” vote.

“We’re going to lose two or three votes and that’s the end of that,” Trump said, appearing to predict defeat on the Graham-Cassidy bill.

Trump’s pessimistic comments about the Graham-Cassidy Obamacare repeal bill came as the bill’s authors released changes aimed at winning over key holdouts. However, one of the bill’s firm opponents, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), said that the revisions had not changed his mind.

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