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While President Donald Trumps first major legislative push hurtled toward a major defeat, one of his top advisers, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, was photographed with his wife, Ivanka Trump, on a ski gondola in Aspen.

Kushner may not have been the lead White House negotiator on the doomed healthcare bill. But the image of Trumps top consigliere hitting the slopes at perhaps the most critical moment of his young presidency sent a message loud and clear: The White House wanted a win, but health care was not the dominant priority for Trump that it was for the Republican members of Congress who actually had to take a vote.

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"Their heart was not in the healthcare battle, said a top Republican who was in meetings with the president and his team but declined to be identified because those conversations were supposed to be private. Think about the level of intensity on the executive orders for the travel ban, or on the wiretapping claims. He certainly checked the boxes on healthcare, to his credit. But it's self-evident there was not a certain level of intensity devoted to this."

White House officials have insisted that Trump understood that a legislative victory was crucial at this stage of his administration -- he is struggling to boost a 42.2 percent approval rating according to FiveThirtyEight.com, the lowest of his presidency so far -- and that he was lending the full force of his office to the cause.

"The president and vice president left everything on the field," press secretary Sean Spicer wrote in an email on Saturday. "They were making calls and having members to the White House all week. In total, we spoke or met with over 120 members of Congress." And Kushner, other White House officials insisted, was never deeply involved in health care to begin with.

But according to Republican Hill staffers, in the weeks leading up to the doomed vote, Trumps mind seemed to be elsewhere.

The president made it clear at rallies over the past few weeks that healthcare was just something he needed to get through, in order to move on to the next thing. "We want a very big tax cut, but cannot do that until we keep our promise to repeal and replace the disaster known as 'Obamacare,'" he told an adoring crowd at a rally in Louisville last week.

The president also has been distracted in recent weeks by other issues, like questions about possible collusion between Russia and his campaign, and the evidence-free accusation that President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 election.

The top Republican said that in one healthcare meeting with the president and his top aides in the Oval Office, it was a challenge to keep Trump focused on the health care vote. "Halfway through that meeting, he stopped to talk about Gorsuch, the source said. His mind was bouncing around. I never felt they were dialed into this."

Trump gamely climbed to the Hill this week, making a last-minute, full-throttle push for the bill in the final hours -- even devoting his news-driving Twitter feed, uncharacteristically, to the health care fight.

But on the Hill, the presidents effort was viewed by Republican operatives as a case of too little, too late. The impression Trump left there, according to multiple sources who did not want to criticize the president on the record, was that Trump didnt know that much -- or care that much -- about healthcare policy That made it hard for him to go tit for tat with members of the Freedom Caucus and get into the weeds on details of the bill. There were other distractions they were dealing with, said one top Republican staffer on the Hill.

And after just 64 days in office, the short-attention span president told the New York Times on Friday he was just happy to finally to move on. Its enough already, he said of the healthcare talks.

Republicans trying to understand what went wrong on Saturday also pointed to the fact that the two lead negotiators on Trumps team, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, were slowed down by delayed confirmations. Price was only confirmed on Feb. 10, and Mulvaney was confirmed a week later, which prevented them from being totally devoted to the health care cause.

The approach of Trump, who sold himself on the campaign trail as a master negotiator who promised that repealing and replacing Obamacare would be so easy, stands in stark contrast to how his predecessor worked to get the Affordable Care Act passed seven years ago. Former aides to Obama said he devoted the better part of a year working on his healthcare bill, with staffers devoted full-time to its passage.

Obama's commitment to health reform was passionate and unstinting, said his former top political adviser David Axelrod. He was moved by people he had met who were working hard and needed care. He had seen his own mother dealing with cancer and grappling with insurance in her final months.

Trumps predecessor in the Oval Office was steeped in the details of the law and what needed to be done to pass it, Axelrod added. There were many times along the way that it appeared as if all paths were blocked and the bill would fail, and he simply would not let it die.

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Trump defenders pushed back on the notion that the replacement bill failed because the White House didnt care enough. The problem with the bill was the bill, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said in an interview on Saturday. He also shrugged off Kushners ill-timed vacation, and the optics problem of the presidents top adviser, who reportedly thought supporting the bill was a mistake, hitting the slopes.

This is going to be a long eight years, people need to pace themselves, Gingrich said. This was not a crisis. This was a very important project, which Jared probably thought was under control when he left. The loss of confidence is only three or four days old.

For his part, the president put on a happy face in public and appeared unfazed. On Friday, answering questions from reporters gathered in the Oval Office, he spun the stunning defeat as a victory. "Perhaps the best thing that could happen is what happened today," Trump said. "It will go very smoothly."

On Saturday, he wrote on Twitter: ObamaCare will explode and we will all get together and piece together a great healthcare plan for THE PEOPLE. Do not worry! before heading to the links at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia.

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Republicans wonder whether Trump's heart was in healthcare fight - Politico

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather warned Friday's "stunning" display of a failed GOP healthcare bill "is only the beginning" of the troubles facing the Republican Party.

In a Facebook post, Rather said it was "stunning" to see "a complete defeat" when the American Health Care Act was pulled from the House floor when it became all but certain it didn't have the votes to pass.

He chided not only President Trump, who promised a fast repeal-and-replace process upon entering the White House, but also Republicans who have been "demonizing" Obamacare for seven years.

Pointing to Trump's comment Friday that the bill's failure is "the Democrats' fault," Rather retorted: "The morass of blame is only beginning."

Rather has been a constant critic of Trump's. Earlier this month he said "people will die" from the White House's federal budget proposal. He also said the controversy surrounding former Trump national security adviser Mike Flynn is "at least as big as Watergate."

But it was Friday's failed vote that Rather said was Trump's most notable defeat.

"I have never seen such a staggering loss so early in a term," Rather said. "We have long left charted waters with this administration. And our ship of state bobs amidst ominous waves.

Rather also downplayed any hype behind House Speaker Paul Ryan as a leader.

"The damage isn't limited to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue," Rather said. "Many Democrats never understood Paul Ryan's golden boy wonk status. But that aura has also been deeply and perhaps irrevocably tarnished by this health care failure. And the difficulty was expected to be in the Senate."

Also from the Washington Examiner

In multiple cases, the pro-Trump ralliers were confronted by anti-Trump demonstrations.

03/25/17 7:04 PM

He ended his Facebook post with a nod to another cloud of uncertainty growing over Trump's administration.

"Meanwhile, the Russian shadow continues to darken," he said.

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Dan Rather: Failed healthcare bill 'is only the beginning' of Republicans' problems - Washington Examiner

Speaker Paul Ryan says the collapse of the House Republican health care bill means former President Barack Obama's health care law will be around for the foreseeable future. (March 24) AP

Health care activists march to the Trump International hotel during a protest in March in Washington, D.C.(Photo: MANDEL NGAN, AFP/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON Rep. Luke Messer, R-Shelbyville, was waiting for his turn to speakin favor of the GOP health care bill Friday when it was yanked from the House floor in the last minutes of debate.

Vote! Vote! Democrats shouted as Messer and other stony-faced Republicans filed off the floor to a closed-door meeting where the Rolling Stones You Cant Always Get What You Want played.

Republicans seven-year effort to get rid of President Barack Obamas signature health care bill was dead.

I dont know what else to say other than Obamacares the law of the land, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters after the short caucus meeting ended. Were going to be living with Obamacare for the foreseeable future.

Indianas uninsured rate had dropped from 13 percent before major provisions of the 2010 Affordable Care Actbegan to 9 percent in 2015. But Republicans argued it imposed too many taxes and regulations on the health care system, without lowering costs.

Most of Indianas seven GOP House members, as well as Gov. Eric Holcomb, had backed the repeal and replace bill.

One Indiana House member, freshman Rep. Trey Hollingsworth of Jeffersonville, issued a statement after the vote criticizing career politicians for lacking the courage to act, but he never said if he supported the bill.

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., also had not said if he backed it.

WHAT HAPPENED:Failure to repeal Obamacare ends terrible week for Trump, GOP

The two major components of the ACA which increased coverage an expansion of Medicaid and subsidies for people who buy insurance without help from an employer would have been scaled back. Taxes the ACA imposed on the wealthy and sectors of the health care industry to pay for the ACA would have been repealed.People would not have been fined for not having insurance and larger employers would not have had to offer coverage to workers.

An estimated 24 million fewer people would have had insurance under the bill in 2026 compared with no changes to the law. Some would have gone without by choice. Many would have done so because they could not afford it, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The bill lost support of some more moderate Republicans concerned about the loss of coverage, while too many hard-line conservatives opposed the bill for not going far enough to undo Obamacare.

When it was clear not enough lawmakers had been swayed even after additional changes were made to the bill Thursday night, Vice President Mike Pence canceled an out-of-town trip and huddled Friday afternoon with members of the House Freedom Caucus. Leaving the meeting, Pence ignored shouted questions from reporters about whether the bill had the votes to pass.

Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price leave the Capitol Hill Club on Capitol Hill March 24, 2017 in Washington, DC. While Pence visited with lawmakers Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) traveled to the White House to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss the fate of the American Health Care Act.(Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images)

As the debate continued on the floor, Democrats remained united in their opposition.

Rep. Pete Visclosky,D-Merrillville, said the bill would jeopardize care for the more than 400,000 Hoosiers on HIP 2.0, Indianas alternative Medicaid program that was expanded through the ACA. The GOP bill would have phased out the Medicaid expansion, as well as cut funding for Indianas traditional Medicaid program, which covers children, pregnant women, the disabled and low-income seniors.

Medicaid spending is the source of two-thirds of federal funding received by Indiana for a program used by about 1 in 5 Hoosiers.

Holcomb earlier this year asked the federal government for permission to continue HIP 2.0, and to expand access to substance abuse disorder services for an estimated cost of $70.75 million a year.

But he backed the GOP bill this week, saying in a letter to congressional leaders that Obamacare had diverted resources away from Medicaids core mission. He praised recent changes to the bill that would have allowed states to impose work requirements on some Medicaid recipients, and allowed states to accept less funding than in the original bill in exchange for more leeway on how to run the program.

Its a huge step forward in giving states the flexibility in deciding who really needs this assistance, how they should get it and what they should get, Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Indianapolis, said on the House floor.

U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita(Photo: File photo)

Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Newburgh, said the voters who fought against Obamacare because it caused them to lose coverage or pay higher premiums had put Republicans in charge of Congress and the White House in part so the law could be repealed.

Its an opportunity for us to fulfill our promise to our constituents, he said.

PresidentDonald Trump carried Indiana by 19 percentage points. But a majority of voters 56 percent opposed the GOP bill while only 17 percent supported it, according to a Quinnipiac University surveyed of 1,056 voters taken March 16-21.

Replacing Obamacare will come with a price for elected representatives who vote to scrap it, say many Americans, who clearly feel their health is in peril under the Republican alternative, said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

Republicans said they need some time to reflect on what happened Friday, but will quickly regroup.

NEXT STEPS:With Obamacare repeal dreams dashed, what can GOP accomplish?

Health care reform, however, is no longer on the table, said a subdued Messer.

Were going to wake up tomorrow morning and weve still got a lot of work to do for the American people, said Messer, chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee. Today is a disappointing day, but were going to have to move on to other issues.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called the failure of House Republicans to bring their health care bill to a vote 'a victory for the American people.' (March 24) AP

Contact Maureen Groppe at mgroppe@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @mgroppe.

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Despite support from Indiana Republicans, health bill fails - Indianapolis Star

New York Times

Republicans Land a Punch on Health Care, to Their Own Face New York Times Since the Tea Party wave of 2010 that swept House Republicans into power, a raucous, intransigent and loosely aligned group of lawmakers known as the Freedom Caucus most from heavily Republican districts has often landed a punch to its own ... and more »

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Republicans Land a Punch on Health Care, to Their Own Face - New York Times

"I don't think that one party's going to be able to fix this by themselves," the South Carolina Republican said Saturday at a town hall event. "I think the President should reach out to Democrats, I should reach out to Democrats, and we should say, 'Let's take a shot at doing this together because it ain't working doing it by ourselves.'"

After Republicans were forced to pull their bill to replace Obamacare from the floor of the GOP-controlled House on Friday, Trump blamed Democrats and vowed to let Obamacare "explode."

"We had no Democrat support. We had no votes from the Democrats," Trump said. "They weren't going to give us a single vote, so it's a very, very difficult thing to do. I think the losers are (House Minority Leader) Nancy Pelosi and (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer because now they own Obamacare. 100% own it."

Graham has been a frequent critic of the Affordable Care Act and reinforced that Saturday.

"Here's what I think about health care: Obamacare is a disaster and it's going to collapse," he said at the Columbia, South Carolina, event, drawing boos from the crowd.

But the long-serving senator said the Trump administration is going to have to learn to work with Democrats if it wants to implement its vision for this country.

"At my core, I'm a fiscal and social conservative, but here's what I believe -- I can't run the country by myself, and we have to work together," he said. "If you want to save this country from becoming Greece, you need Republicans and Democrats to work together to reform entitlement programs before it's too late."

Sen. Bob Corker, a member of the Budget Committee, made a similar point Friday.

"At some point, on behalf of the American people, we have to resolve the issues that are driving up costs, limiting choices, and causing the individual market to spiral downward," the Tennessee Republican said. "I stand ready to work with the administration and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in order to fix our broken health care system."

Graham, who has long called for an investigation into Russia's involvement in the 2016 election, also said Saturday that politicians should not hamper that investigation.

"We've learned that the FBI is investigating Trump campaign operatives for potential ties to Russia," he said. "Here's my belief: It goes where it goes. No politicians should stand in the way. We should let the FBI do their job. And what happens happens."

On Friday, House Intelligence Committee member Jim Himes accused California Rep. Devin Nunes of persistently serving "the interests of Donald Trump" as chairman of the committee, which is probing alleged ties between Trump associates and Russia.

"Devin, as much as I appreciate him and consider him a friend, has demonstrated on multiple occasions that he often serves the interests of Donald Trump," the Connecticut Democrat told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day." "Once again, we were shown why this should be done by an outside commission."

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Lindsey Graham on health care: Republicans and Democrats need to work together - CNN International