The Note: Trump in 'sell mode' on health care

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March 9, 2017

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Trump in 'sell mode' on health care

The Big Story

Enter Donald Trump -- charmer, negotiator, dealmaker. He's been away for a while, obscured in a haze of tweets and rhetorical missiles, wrapped up in a blustery tone that exhibited little interest in legislative blather. But these are his roots, and this will now mark his future as president. The humble start to the sales job on health care reform, with quiet, private meetings where participants are invited to air their concerns, is a break not just from what we've seen of Trump, but what we've seen from the most recent presidents. It's a huge test for the current president, and it's one for which he chose the terms. Will conservatives come along – after their public show of opposition, and urging from the AARP and the American Medical Association to sink the bill? It's still a risky thing to bet on but a tough thing to bet against, assuming the new White House tone survives the news cycle.

The Sleeper Story

As Capitol Hill waits on the Congressional Budget Office to "score" the new health care bill, the White House seems to be setting things up...to ignore it. "If you're looking to the CBO for accuracy, you're looking in the wrong place," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday, citing the CBO's original Obamacare numbers, which were later adjusted. "When they come out with this score, we need to understand their track record when it comes to health care." This is the latest signal from the White House that it intends to sideline the CBO, which has operated as the independent arbiter of costs and impact for generations – hard facts, in an era of spin. The "alternative facts" presidency has broader implications than health care or the budget: job numbers, growth statistics, climate data – all affect policy decisions where a common set of facts is valuable, if not critical.

The Shiny Story

Now introducing President Trump's pick to become the U.S. ambassador to Russia, the "disloyal" Jon Huntsman who "gave away our country to China!" Wednesday night came dinner with "Lyin'" Ted Cruz, a "very nasty guy" whom "you can't make deals with," not to mention what his wife looks like and what his dad may have done. That came after private meetings with "Lil'" Marco Rubio, plus Rand Paul and Lindsey Graham, both of whom have also been called "nasty," and one of whom (Paul) reminded the president at one point of a "spoiled brat without a properly functioning brain." All of those descriptions are drawn from debates, interviews and tweets from Trump when he was a candidate – h/t to ABC News' Chris Donovan for the compilation – and none have been formally disavowed. The game could go on, of course. But does any of it matter? Trump has proven that name-calling matters just about not at all, to either him or those he called awful names. He's relying on those he insulted, and nobody seems to care.