Trump reportedly asked 'Trumpcare' opponents to tell the press the bill was 'great' after meeting
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
During a meeting with conservative opponents of his healthcare-reform bill, President Donald Trump asked them to paint a rosier picture to the press about the bill, according to a Washington Post report published on Sunday.
"I know you have already said it's a bad deal, but Kellyanne is going to walk you out to the microphones and I'd love it if you could say it's great," Trump said after the meeting, according to The Post. Kellyanne Conway is the counselor to the president.
Although the people at the meeting did not ultimately endorse the American Health Care Act, the bill to repeal and replace Obamacare that Trump and Republican leadership had introduced, they "were polite and took pains not to criticize Trump himself," the report said.
Despite not supporting the bill, they continued to praise the president for what they said was his openness to dialogue and healthy debate, according to the report.
The AHCA was pulled from the floor of the House before a vote because Republicans were not able to drum up enough support for it amid disagreements between conservatives and moderates.
Trump is a frequent consumer of cable news, often praising networks that broadcast favorable coverage of him, while blasting those that are more critical as "fake news."