Columnist: Trump Coalition Breaks With Traditional Republicans On ACA Repeal
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Syndicated columnist Salena Zito spoke with Dom Giordano on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT about Donald Trump's standing with his supporters following the collapse Republican efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, saying that Trump's coalition is not always in step with the most conservative members of their party and, thus, are more open to accepting the benefits that 'Obamacare' currently provides.
"This election put together a completely different coalition. So that the traditional Republicans are very free-market, so they wanted something different than Obamacare. Then there are the people who have become dependent on the government and there are people with family members who are addicted to opioids or don't have enough money to pay for health care. Look, when you create an entitlement, it's really difficult to take it away. That's why Republicans fought so hard against this in 2009 because they knew once people had it and it became part of the culture, even if they didn't like parts of it, it's really hard to take something away from someone."
Zito thinks that Trump should continue holding the campaign-style rallies because she thinks that where he is at his most effective in connecting with his core audience.
"I would have him do that, like, once a week. I think it gives him a better opportunity, as long as he utilizes it, to talk about the things that are important to the voters that put him in office, but also could attract other voters who are skeptical of him to see what he's talking about, see what he's proposing. It gives him an open airway to talk about things like the 'Made in America' week that they're celebrating. He is at his best when he is face-to-face with the people."
She also believes that Trump would serve himself better to stop warring with the media.
"His weakest part of his personality is that he wants to beat the press. While there are certainly instances where my profession deserves it, but there are also a lot of very good reporters out there. That has been his whole problem with this meeting that his son took. Instead of letting them get this all out there and get it behind him, because it appears there is nothing illegal about what he did, at least based on the information that we know, because he wants to beat the press, he doesn't let it all out."
https://tunein.com/embed/player/s21950/
