Former Republican Rep. Will Hurd, of Texas, revealed in a newly-released book that then-President Donald Trump “exploded” at him in a phone rant in 2017 after Hurd expressed his opposition to repealing the Affordable Care Act, telling Trump that such legislation would hurt his constituents. At some point during the conversation, Trump ramped up the pressure by boasting that he had won Hurd’s district, only to be fact-checked by the congressman.
According to an excerpt from Hurd’s book “American Reboot,” which was obtained by Business Insider, Trump was seeking to rally support for the legislation and got enraged when the lawmaker bucked him on his attempt to cut $800 billion from Medicaid.
With Trump asking him for his support to get rid of former President Barack Obama’s signature legislation, Hurd explained that it would hurt his constituents.
“Trump — who made the repeal and replacement of Obamacare a centerpiece of his 2016 presidential campaign — was not as understanding as [former Vice President Mike] Pence in recognizing the dynamics of his district, according to Hurd,” the report states.
“Look … we’ve been talking about healthcare for a long time. We’re poised for a big win here. Big win. We’d really love your support,” Trump reportedly said.
The bok notes that Hurd claimed he couldn’t support the bill in its current form, at which point Trump reportedly “exploded” and started yelling at Hurd.
“That’s what’s wrong with you Republicans,” Hurd recalls Trump blurting. “You’ve been talking about this for four years, and we have a chance to do it and you’re not going to do it.”
Trump then tried to persuade the congressman by boasting he had won Hurd’s district. But the GOP lawmaker corrected him by explaining he actually lost the district by 3 points.
“Well, I did better than anybody thought I was gonna do in your district,” Trump replied, according to Hurd.
