Follow Dean Obeidallah, the host of SiriusXM radios daily program "The Dean Obeidallah Show," on Threads. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinions at CNN.
Former President Donald Trump is now prioritizing a previously unfulfilled goal from his time in the White House: dismantling Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Dean Obeidallah
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Trump brought up the topic of eliminating Obamacare in a post on social media. Last week, he reiterated his stance on Obamacare, promising to "replace it" with something "much better."
Trump wrote that America will have one of the best healthcare plans worldwide. During a campaign stop in Iowa, the former president reiterated his disdain for Obamacare, calling it "a disaster" and vowing to take action. These comments have surprised Republican strategists, who worry that they will harm the GOP in the 2024 election, considering the widespread popularity of the ACA.
Trump's recent assault on Obamacare is a daring political maneuver, but it's worth noting for another reason: Based on past patterns, the probability of him having a truly "fantastic" healthcare plan in development is extremely slim.
On November 11, 2023, in Claremont, New Hampshire, former President Donald Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, delivered remarks at a campaign event. The defense is set to begin presenting its case in Trump's fraud case on Monday. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
The GOP could fall into a trap with Trump's push to repeal Obamacare. Trump had promised to do away with Obamacare during his 2016 campaign and repeatedly pledged to deliver a "phenomenal" health care plan, but ultimately failed to follow through on this promise throughout his presidency.
Trumps latest promise to repeal Obamacare is not driven by policy, but by other motives. Firstly, he sees attacking President Obama's signature achievement as a way to appeal to his base. While Obamacare is supported by nearly 60% of Americans, it is still a target for political attack due to Obama's unpopularity among Republicans, with only 18% approving of his presidency.
Trump has always been fixated on attacking and potentially reversing Obama's accomplishments. When Obama left office in January 2017, a CNN poll revealed that he had a high 60% approval rating, placing him among the most highly rated former presidents. In contrast, Trump departed office with the lowest approval rating of his term at 34%. These numbers are likely frustrating for a boastful man like Trump, who has always been driven to be the most prominent and superior.
Trump may also be using a classic political tactic: the more focus the media puts on Obamacare, the less attention there may be on the 91 criminal charges he is facing.
Nikki Haley, former U.S. Ambassador and South Carolina Governor, announces her 2024 presidential campaign during a speech at USCB's Sand Shark Recreation Center in Bluffton on Monday, November 27, 2023. (The Island Packet/Tribune News Service/Getty Images)
Suggestion: Preventing Trump from being listed on the ballot
There could be another troubling motive at play: a racial element may be influencing Trump's efforts to discredit the achievements of the first Black president.
There has been widespread criticism from many observers who argue that Trump's actions and words often seem to be motivated by racism, and that this sentiment is also shared by his dedicated MAGA supporters. Trump's understanding and utilization of his base, combined with his adeptness at political divisiveness, means that he is well aware that attacking Barack Obama will resonate with his followers.
From Trump's initial reluctance to condemn white supremacists until facing pressure, to his repeated criticisms of prominent Black individuals, his disparagement of the Black Lives Matter movement as a "symbol of hate," his sharing of social media content from white supremacists, and his harsh remarks about immigrants from certain countries, it is clear that racial issues are a constant theme in Trump's agenda. Pledging to undo the landmark achievements of the first and only Black president of the United States is consistent with this pattern.
In 2011, Trump began his efforts to delegitimize President Obama with the racist and unfounded "birther campaign." On NBC's Today show in April 2011, Trump claimed to have people investigating Obama's birth certificate and made baseless insinuations questioning the legitimacy of Obama's presidency. Additionally, Trump falsely asserted that Obama was a "terrible student" and openly questioned his academic qualifications, even going as far as demanding the release of Obama's school records from Columbia University and Harvard Law.
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Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook! Who could forget the memorable 2011 White House Correspondents Association Dinner, where Obama humorously embarrassed Trump? Many believe that this comedic exchange fueled Trump's presidential campaign and the grudge he has held onto since then.
The more the media covers policy debates involving Trump, the more it helps to portray him as a typical political candidate rather than the "clear and present danger to American democracy" as warned by J. Michael Luttig, a former GOP-appointed federal appeals court judge.
Trump's focus on targeting Obamacare is not aimed at improving healthcare for Americans, despite having four years in the White House to do so. It appears to be primarily about benefiting one person: Donald J. Trump, the individual that the former president seems to prioritize above all else.
