President Trump is encouraging Republicans to embrace a new approach to healthcare. In a speech to Congressional Republicans on Tuesday, Trump urged the party to make healthcare a defining issue of the GOP platform ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
President Trump emphasized a new approach to reform and urged GOP lawmakers to focus on a consumer-centered healthcare system that puts money directly into individuals’ hands. “Let the money go directly to the people,” President Trump said. “Let the money go into a healthcare account or however you do it…where they can buy their own healthcare.”
The president also acknowledged the problems with the current corporate structure of health insurance, including the massive profits going to “the big fat cats in the insurance companies.”
In addition to benefiting consumers, President Trump emphasized that this approach could be politically beneficial to Republicans by reframing one of the Democratic Party’s most favored political issues as a central policy priority of the GOP. Trump argued that Obamacare is still viewed as a major policy achievement within the Democratic Party, even though it did not succeed at delivering real benefits for American families. “We don’t have that s one of our issues,” President Trump said. “It’s the only thing they have.”
Trump also alluded to the corruption and political nature of the current system, saying massive corporate profits of insurance companies were enabled by “stupid politicians.” He argued that a patient-centered approach would be difficult for Democrats to oppose since they were “owned by the insurance companies.” President Trump compared possible attempts to defend insurance company profits to weak arguments that Democratic politicians have attempted to make against voter ID.
President Trump encouraged GOP members to embrace his vision of making healthcare a signature Republican issue, noting its importance to voters. “I’m not sure I’ve ever said anything that was more impactful,” he said. “If you can somehow do that…this is going to be your issue.”