President Trump has built a brand synonymous with his name, ensuring it appears on buildings, steaks and even wines. But there’s one place he doesn’t want it: the new Republican health care bill.
The White House has repeatedly resisted the casual use of the term “Trumpcare” to describe the legislation, arguing that the bill is actually a “joint effort” with Congress.
“I don’t think this is about labels and names, this is about getting the job done,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said at the daily press briefing Tuesday.
Spicer noted that President Obama also resisted the name “Obamacare” for the Affordable Care Act that he signed into law in 2010. That name, whose origin is disputed, became a popular way for critics to disparage the law, although President Obama eventually embraced it.
“I have no problem with people saying Obama cares,” Obama said on a bus tour in 2011, according to a CBS News report. “I do care. If the other side wants to be the folks who don’t care? That’s fine with me.”
The name may have even hurt the law.
A poll released in September 2013, showed that voters were much less fond of the healthcare bill when it was deemed “Obamacare” instead of “the Affordable Care Act.” As of February 2017, another poll showed one third of Americans didn’t realize Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act were the same thing.
Not everyone has adopted the phrase for the Republican bill, which is officially called the American Health Care Act. Some have also referred to it as Ryancare, after House Speaker Paul Ryan; Republicancare; Obamacare Lite; and RINOcare, after the term for “Republicans in Name Only.”
Our wonderful new Healthcare Bill is now out for review and negotiation. ObamaCare is a complete and total disaster – is imploding fast!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2017
But while the White House is resisting the term “Trumpcare,” President Trump himself has shown no compunction about continuing to use the term “Obamacare,” even while referring to his own bill as “our Healthcare Bill.”