President Trump still holds a grudge against Sen. John McCain.
“It was a very unpleasant surprise,” Mr. Trump said Thursday, recalling how the Arizona Republican cast the deciding vote in July that sunk the bill to repeal and replace Obamacare.
“Now we have people talking about single-payer. So Republicans have to stick together better,” the president told reporters abroad Air Force One. “We had the votes. John McCain changed his mind, pure and simple.”
After the failure of Senate Republicans to pass the health care bill, Mr. Trump has increasingly looked to strike deals with Democrats to get his stalled legislative agenda moving.
“If the Republicans don’t stick together then I’m going to have to do more and more,” Mr. Trump said. “By the way, the Republican Party agrees with me. The people out there definitely agree with me. If they’re unable to stick together then I’m going to have to get a little help from the Democrats.”
He said he was ready to enlist Democrats in support of tax reform, which is the next major item on his agenda.
“I would be very surprised if I don’t have at least a few Democrats,” he said.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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