Trump when told the biggest losers from 'Trumpcare' will be his own voters: 'Oh, I know'

Advertisement

trump rally fayetteville

Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

President Donald Trump nodded in agreement during a Wednesday interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson when told the American Health Care Act, the bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, would cause the most damage for people that voted for him in November.

Advertisement

During the interview, Carlson mentioned an analysis by Bloomberg that showed counties that voted more heavily for Trump in the election would see their tax credits to purchase insurance fall dramatically - and likely see the number of people without insurance rise.

"Oh, I know, I know," Trump said in response. "It's very preliminary, Tucker."

The Bloomberg analysis showed that people in counties that voted for Trump would see $6.6 billion in total tax cuts, while people living in Clinton-supporting counties would get a tax break of $21.9 billion.

Additionally, since the AHCA's tax credits are flat totals based on age instead on income and cost of living, some states will see a larger decrease in their average premiums.

Advertisement

Based on an analysis by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the five states in which Americans will see their tax credits decline the most are Alaska, North Carolina, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Alabama, Nebraska, and Wyoming. All five of those states voted for Trump. In fact, the 13 states that will see the most decline in tax credits all swung toward Trump in November.

cbpp obamacare repeal map vs electoral map

Andy Kiersz/Business Insider

Despite the potential disproportionate impact on his own voters, Trump said the bill would eventually pass. But he suggested changes to the existing version.

"A lot of things aren't consistent," Trump said. "But these are going to be negotiated."

He added: "And by the way, if we're not going to take care of the people, I'm not signing anything. I'm not going to be doing it, just so you understand."

Advertisement