A reporter asked Trump what his health care plan is. He didn't know
Donald Trump probably never expected to be asked an unfair “gotcha” question by a Fox News reporter, of all people. At a White House news conference today, the reporter, John Roberts, had the temerity to inquire thusly: “I’m wondering, at this point, what is your health care plan, sir?”
Trump couldn’t answer. Because he doesn’t really know.
Here’s what passed for a response:
"Well if you look, ah, insurance companies, and you take a good strong look at the numbers, you’ll see since the formation of Obamacare they’re up 400 percent, 450 percent, 250 percent, 300 percent — they’ve made a fortune, the insurance companies. So when I knocked out the hundreds of millions of dollars a month being paid back to the insurance companies by the politicians, I must tell you, that wanted me to continue to pay this, I said I’m not going to do it. This is money that goes to the insurance companies to line their pockets, to raise up their stock prices, and they’ve had a record run, they’ve had an incredible run, and it’s not appropriate.”
Yes, we know you’re trying to destroy Obamacare by stopping CSR payments to insurance companies. But what’s your plan?
He continued:
“Obamacare is a disaster. It’s virtually dead, as far as I am concerned it really is dead, and I predicted that a long time ago — it is a concept that doesn’t work, and we are very close. We feel we have the votes, and as soon as we’re finished with taxes, John, we really feel we have the votes to get block grants into the states where the states can much better manage this money and much better take care of the people, rather than the federal government. The state block grants — we’ll do massive block grants into the various states so that the states can run the program.”
Here he was mumbling about the Graham-Cassidy bill, which has already been soundly defeated and would have increased the ranks of the uninsured by millions. It was just the latest in a long series of Republican bills that Trump didn’t understand. But then he didn’t need to understand it. He just knew a small handful of greedy white men wrote it, so it passed the only test he really cares about.
Reporters have to understand once and for all that Donald Trump knows nothin’ about nothin’. Ordinarily you’d treat the president of the United States with a certain amount of deference. But the media need to begin treating him like a second-grader who brings his dad’s condoms to show-and-tell and starts making balloon animals. Explain to him in the most delicate way possible that he’s a callow moron who has no clue about the world.
Just because you’re the president doesn’t mean you’re not the dumbest guy in the room. Reporters spend their days following this guy around. They should know by now that you could trip him up with a question about how a bill becomes a law.
Our republic is in danger, fourth estaters. Do your jobs.
