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

Screenshot of Bryce Mitchell; Donald Trump
@HQNewsNow/X; Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

UFC Fighter Bryce Mitchell Expertly Rips Trump For 'Desecrating' White House With 'Freedom 250' Fight

While speaking to reporters at UFC Vegas 118 Media Day, mixed martial artist Bryce Mitchell criticized the Trump administration for hosting a UFC fight for President Donald Trump's birthday.

Trump previously announced there will be a UFC fight on the White House grounds to celebrate America's semiquincentennial. Trump expects the fight will happen in front of 20,000 to 25,000 people, a proposal backed by former two-division champion Conor McGregor, who confirmed his interest after not having competed since 2021.

Keep ReadingShow less
Father and bride performing 'Last Bite Ritual' in China
u/s**tonthebeach/Reddit

Viral Video Of Dad Performing Emotional 'Last Bite' Ritual With His Daughter On Her Wedding Day Has Us Sobbing

While a person's wedding day is meant to be a celebration of their love and starting a new life with their partner, it's also important to remember the life they're leaving "behind," specifically the household that raised them.

In a video that's gone viral multiple times before, a Chinese father presents his daughter, who is about to be married, with a bowl of dumplings. He then selects one dumpling and feeds it to her, as a reminder of how he raised her and symbolizing that this is the last time he'll take care of her before she becomes a married woman.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from Calleigh Cartwright's TikTok video
@calleighpaige07/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Suffering Hilariously Mortifying Wardrobe Malfunction In Her Town Square

What's a social media influencer to do on a nice day when they feel like their outfit is especially cute, but take photos for Instagram?

But for social media influencer Calleigh Cartwright, that may have been the wrong choice.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sean Reifel (left) with Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds before entering the Love Island USA villa.
CBS 19/Youtube; @loveislandusa/Instagram

Pennsylvania Mayor Rips Police Officer Who Quit The Force To Go On 'Love Island USA'

A badge-wearing bombshell has entered the villa.

Sean Reifel is one of 12 singles entering the Love Island USA villa this summer, but his search for love is already creating drama back home. The former Bethlehem Police Department officer has drawn criticism from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Mayor J. William Reynolds after leaving the force to appear on the Peacock reality series.

Keep ReadingShow less