The McCain mutiny
Trump woe as senator gets revenge by wrecking President’s health bill
He’s not a war hero. I prefer people who weren’t caught DONALD TRUMP JIBE AT EX-POW JOHN MCCAIN
DONALD Trump suffered a stinging defeat when Republican veteran John McCain led the revolt that sunk the President’s health reforms.
Brain cancer patient Mr McCain, who had a large scar over his eye from a blood clot op, left hospital to block moves that would have stripped health cover from 16 million Americans.
His mutiny, which brought gasps in the US Senate, meant Mr Trump’s Bill was dramatically defeated by 51 to 49.
It was seen as revenge by the senator who was mocked by Mr Trump two years ago for his Vietnam war record.
Mr McCain was a prisoner of war for five years, but the President – who did not serve – said: “He’s not a war hero. I prefer people who weren’t captured.”
At the end of a tense session of the Senate, which ran long into the night, the former presidential candidate, 80, approached the clerks’ desk and cast the deciding vote. Humiliated Mr Trump tweeted that the senators who voted against him had “let the American people down”.
Repealing “Obamacare” was one of Trump’s key election promises, but six months into his presidency, he has failed to put together a plan that could gather enough support in Congress.
Moderate Republican senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins also sided with the Democrats to defeat the latest, watered down attempt to replace Presi- dent Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Mr McCain later issued a statement saying the proposed amendment would not have amounted to a meaningful “repeal and replace” of the Obama Act. He said: “While the amendment would have repealed some of Obamacare’s most burdensome regulations, it offered no replacement to actually reform our healthcare system and deliver affordable, quality health care to our citizens.”
Mr Trump added in a tweet: “As I said from the beginning, let Obamacare implode then deal. Watch!” The 1.30am vote marked the end of a turbulent week, even by Mr Trump’s erratic standards.
Press spokesman Sean Spicer resigned, his replacement ranted at colleagues and America’s Chief Scout apologised after Mr Trump delivered a political speech to 40,000 scouts.
The President also caused outrage by going over the heads of generals to ban transgender people in the military. And he risked a constitutional crisis by pursuing a vendetta against Attorney General Jeff Sessions.