Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Barack Obama Just Revealed What Advice He Gave to Donald Trump in Hopes of Saving Obamacare, and We Get It

Barack Obama Just Revealed What Advice He Gave to Donald Trump in Hopes of Saving Obamacare, and We Get It
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: President Donald Trump raises a fist after his inauguration as former President Barack Obama applauds on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

And it would have worked too...

Former President Barack Obama revealed on Thursday that he advised President-Elect Donald Trump to "just change the name" of Obamacare and "claim that you made those wonderful changes."


Obama had been participating in a question and answer session with DNC Chair Tom Perez, to whom the 44th president explained he never sought "pride of authorship" on health care.

I said to the incoming president, 'Just change the name and claim that you made these wonderful changes and I would be like, "You go."' Because I didn't have pride of authorship, I just wanted people to have health care.

Obama continued, saying he warned the incoming president, who had campaigned on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, that he "couldn't do it despite controlling all branches of government in Washington. They couldn't do it because we had actually thought it through and it's a hard thing to do."

The former president explained that the goal of making sure every American has access to quality health care was something that "every president since Teddy Roosevelt had failed to do."

"The idea that I somehow took on health care just because I thought it was fun or it would somehow burnish my legacy is nuts," Obama added. "Because we knew going in in 2008 that every president since Teddy Roosevelt had failed to do what every other advanced democracy in the world has done."
In 2016, Obama said he didn't care if Republicans changed the name of the law as long as its provisions stayed in place.

"They can even change the name of the law to Reagancare," he said. "Or they can call it Paul Ryancare. I don't care about credit. I just want it to work."

By a 5-4 vote in 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that the ACA's individual mandate, which requires all Americans to enroll in health care coverage or pay a fine, was constitutional due to the power of Congress to levy taxes. Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative, was the deciding vote in favor of saving the law.

But that hasn't stopped Trump and the Republican Party from taking every opportunity to dismantle Obamacare.
Notably, the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 contained a provision repealing the individual mandate as of 2019, which experts have said will cause premiums to spike - the fewer healthier people there are paying into the system, the less money there is to treat those who require care.
During his State of the Union address in January, Trump boasted about the repeal, saying: "We repealed the core of disastrous Obamacare — the individual mandate is now gone."

"We eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on Americans making less than $50,000 a year — forcing them to pay tremendous penalties simply because they could not afford government-ordered health plans," the president said.
"Tonight's speech was a succinct summary of health care during the Trump Administration's first year: full of lies, short on solutions, and indifferent to the Americans who have been harmed by its policies," Protect Our Care Director Brad Woodhouse said of Trump's address.

Woodhouse added that by repealing the individual mandate, Trump broke one of his biggest campaign promises.
"During last year's speech, President Trump said he would lower premiums, protect those with pre-existing conditions, and protect Medicaid," Woodhouse said.
"Instead, he signed a bill which will raise premiums double-digits and deny coverage to millions, championed bills removing protections for pre-existing conditions and imposing an age tax, and implemented Medicaid requirements designed to deny coverage to people who need it the most... and 3.2 million Americans lost their health care in 2017 as a result of his sabotage."

More from People/donald-trump

Barbie dolls on display
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Conservatives Predictably Outraged After Mattel Introduces New Barbie With Type 1 Diabetes

Conservatives lashed out at toymaker Mattel after the company introduced a new Barbie doll with Type 1 diabetes, including an insulin pump and blood sugar tracker—an action they say is "woke" while not understanding the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Mattel revealed a new partnership with Breakthrough T1D— formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation—to launch a Barbie doll that authentically represents people living with Type 1 diabetes. The collaboration, Mattel said, ensures the doll “truly captures the community,” including accessories that “accurately reflect the medical equipment” commonly used by individuals with the condition.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Superman (2025) poster
Joe Raedle/Getty Images; Warner Bros. Pictures

White House Blasted After Portraying Trump As Superman In Bonkers Poster Mock-up

The White House was mercilessly mocked online after it posted a revised poster for the latest Superman film that features President Donald Trump as the Man of Steel.

The latest big screen adaptation of the famed superhero comic, Superman, was directed by James Gunn and stars David Corenswet as the titular superhero, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. The film has received positive reviews and has already made an estimated $2.8 million from Tuesday previews for a total $21 million, including Thursday previews.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Charlie Kirk
Real America's Voice

MAGA Influencer Charlie Kirk Called Out After Blaming DEI For High Death Toll In Texas Flooding Disaster

Turning Point USA founder and MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk was harshly criticized after he claimed the death toll in the flash floods that have devastated central Texas "would not have been as high if it wasn't for DEI," ridiculously suggesting that principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion were responsible.

Kirk's comments are reflective of President Donald Trump’s broader push to dismantle federal programs focused on diversity and inclusion—part of what he pledged in his inaugural address would be a campaign to stop attempts to “socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.”

Keep ReadingShow less

People Reveal The Dark Secrets They Discovered About Someone After They Died

Sometimes you never know who someone is until they're gone.

Everyone has their secrets.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Jesse Watters; Hakeem Jeffries
Fox News; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Jesse Watters Pathetically Tries To Burn Hakeem Jeffries With Bizarre 'Rule For Men' Rant

Fox News personality Jesse Watters was widely mocked after he criticized House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for having recently shared a photo of himself on Instagram that appeared to be digitally altered—with the bench he was leaning against noticeably warped around his hips.

You can see Jeffries' photo below.

Keep ReadingShow less