Donald Trump had little patience when Politico’s Dasha Burns pressed him about the end of the Affordable Care Act subsidies during an interview on Tuesday. The 45-minute interview, which aired on Politico’s platform, showcased Trump giving lengthy and often off-topic responses. But things got tense when Burns asked about the rising premiums Americans would face as the subsidies expire in two weeks.
Burns asked, “In the meantime, I mean, two weeks, Mr. President, people will see those premiums go up. So will you tell Congress to extend those Obamacare subsidies while you work out another deal?”
Trump’s response was far from direct. “I don’t know. I’m gonna have to see. I’d like to get better health care. I’d like to have people buy their own health care, get much better health care, and what I want to do, for example, I want to give the money to the people, not to the insurance companies,” he said.
Burns attempted to steer the conversation, noting that people were already preparing for the holidays, but Trump cut her off sharply. “Look, don’t be dramatic,” he sneered.
Burns, trying to clarify, responded, “No, no.” But Trump wasn’t having it, repeating, “Don’t be dramatic.”
“They’re planning their budgets for next year, Mr. President,” Burns persisted, to which Trump replied, “Here’s what I want to—I know. And what I want to do is help them.”
When Burns pressed again, asking, “So will their premiums go up?” Trump shot back, “I’m giving them money.”
“I want to give the money to the people to buy their own health care. That’s a good thing, not a bad thing. The Democrats don’t want to do that. They want the insurance companies to continue to make a fortune. The Democrats are owned by the insurance companies. They want the insurance companies to get these trillions of dollars,” Trump said, growing more animated.
He continued, “Trillions of dollars go to the insurance companies. I want that money to go to the people and let the people go out and buy their own health care. It works like magic. But you know who doesn’t want it? The Democrats, because they’re corrupt people, because they’re totally owned and bought by the insurance companies.”
After some more back-and-forth, Burns pointed out that Trump’s plan would take time to implement. “That’s going to take time, sir,” she said.
“Ready?” Trump responded, snapping, “I want to give the people better health insurance for less money. The people will get the money, and they’re gonna buy the health insurance that they want.”
The tense exchange showed just how heated the debate over health care and the future of Obamacare has become, with Trump firmly insisting that his approach would benefit the American people, while continuing to criticize Democrats and the insurance industry.