Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Thursday that President Trump could not apportion all of the blame to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for the Senate Republicans’ failure to repeal Obamacare.
“The fact is, with very narrow margin — 52 people — Mitch McConnell got 49 out of 52. And I think the president can’t disassociate himself from this,” Gingrich told Fox News. “He’s part of the leadership team, he’s not an observer sitting up in the stands. He’s on the field. It was a collective failure.”
Gingrich added that it was “goofy” for Trump and McConnell to be “shooting at each other” when the healthcare bills did not attract any Democratic support.
Tensions have been simmering between Trump and McConnell because of differing opinions on the next congressional legislative agenda item. McConnell would prefer to move on from healthcare, while the president wants Republicans “to get back to work” to formulate comprehensive reform.
Trump on Thursday also cast doubt on McConnell’s viability as the GOP’s leader in the upper chamber should he not deliver on other priorities such as tax reform and infrastructure.
