NEW YORK — US President Donald Trump has suffered the biggest political defeat of his short presidency after the Republican-controlled Congress failed to repeal and replace “Obamacare.” Though he likes to stress his abilities as a negotiator, Trump failed to close the deal on a key piece of legislation. Because failure to pass healthcare will make it more difficult to pass tax reform — the next big item on the legislative agenda — and because Trump’s reputation as a dealmaker has been damaged, the healthcare reform defeat is a real threat to the success of his administration.
During the campaign, Trump vowed to repeal and replace Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) as soon as he became president. Along with his promises to build a wall on the southern border and to lower taxes, ending Obamacare became one of the most important pledges of the Trump presidential campaign.
Trump was confident that he could quickly dispose of the most important reform implemented by his predecessor. Stressing his reputation as a great dealmaker, Trump implied that it would be easy for him to get politicians to make a deal to replace what he termed as a disastrous health programme. Trump’s best-selling book, The Art of the Deal, showcases him as a great negotiator who can align otherwise divergent interests behind a common goal. Because Obamacare was widely disliked among Republicans — though for different reasons — when Trump won the election and Republicans retained control of both chambers of Congress, most people anticipated that Obamacare would be repealed.
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