Trump’s Failed Pitch To Freedom Caucus On Obamacare Repeal: “Forget About The Little Shit”

“Forget about the little shit. Let’s focus on the big picture here,” president reportedly told right-wing House members

New details are emerging about President Donald Trump’s failed efforts to convince the right-wing Freedom Caucus to support the GOP’s plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. 

POLITICO reports that during a meeting with Trump on Thursday, members of the Freedom Caucus peppered the president with wonkish questions about the American Health Care Act. 

Rather than addressing the Freedom Caucus’ policy concerns, Trump emphasized the political consequences of the bill’s defeat, saying it would derail his agenda and hurt his chances of re-election.

“Forget about the little shit,” Trump said. “Let’s focus on the big picture here.”

Trump’s pitch didn’t go over well, with Freedom Caucus members exchanging “disapproving looks” and “disturbed by his dismissiveness,” POLITICO reports. 

“We’re talking about one-fifth of our economy,” one member said afterward, referring to health care spending. 

Describing the same meeting, the Associated Press reports that Trump also invoked his best-selling book. 

“Have you read ‘The Art of the Deal?’ You need to read, ‘The Art of the Deal,'” Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., said of the president’s message to lawmakers.

“No deal,” Rep. Mark Meadows, the House Freedom Caucus chairman, said hours later.  

Meanwhile, in another meeting with the Freedom Caucus this week, White House chief strategist Steve Bannon reportedly told members it was “not a discussion.” 

“This is not a debate. You have no choice but to vote for this bill,” Bannon said, according to Axios. 

One Freedom Caucus member reportedly responded: “You know, the last time someone ordered me to something, I was 18 years old. And it was my daddy. And I didn’t listen to him, either.”