Vance's False Claim on Trump Saving ACA

During the recent vice presidential debate, Sen. JD Vance falsely claimed that former President Donald Trump 'saved' Obamacare. Vance argued that Trump worked in a bipartisan manner to ensure Americans had access to affordable care, despite Trump’s numerous attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during his presidency. Trump's administration took several steps to undermine the ACA, including reducing resources for advertising and enrollment and supporting legislation and lawsuits aimed at its repeal. Notably, Trump's efforts to dismantle the ACA were thwarted in part by the dramatic 'thumbs down' vote from the late Sen. John McCain in 2017. Critics, including debate opponent Gov. Tim Walz, pointed out that Vance’s claims are a revisionist history of Trump's actual record on healthcare. The debate underscored the shifting politics of healthcare as Republicans now avoid calls to repeal the widely supported ACA.