Without uttering a single name, President Trump launched his most compelling line of attack in his reelection campaign. Taking Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and his socialist cronies to task, Trump declared war on the Democrats dreaming of destroying our healthcare industry.
“One hundred thirty-two lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our healthcare system, wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million Americans,” a triumphant Trump declared. “To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare!”
Trump has happily flirted with Democratic dalliances for paid family leave plans and increased spending. But his willingness to not only reject the Sanders-backed “Medicare For all,” but more importantly, rightly excoriate it as a socialist nightmare signifies both his conviction and his strong strategy heading into the general election.
The nationalization of one-fifth of the economy with “Medicare For all” wouldn’t only cost $34 trillion per decade, or twice our current federal budget, but also destroy 44% of the world’s medical research and development, three-quarters of its pharmaceutical profits, and the majority of the world’s medical patents.
Voters tuning in to cable news had to wait nearly a year into Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign to hear a single substantive question about how she would pay for “Medicare For all.” And to this day, Sanders still hasn’t provided an answer to that question. The media that access him refuse to make him answer it.
For Trump to call out the very raison d’etre of his campaign marks a declarative shot in the 2020 election and one that proves Democrats will face a steeply uphill battle if they choose Sanders as their nominee.
