Trump’s call to repeal Obamacare blasted as 'outlandish' as signups hit new record high

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) — also referred to as "Obamacare" after the president who signed it into law — remains incredibly popular across the US. However, former President Donald Trump has not backed down from calls to repeal it.

According to the Washington Post, signups for health insurance plans made possible by the ACA have now exceeded 21 million, which is a new record. That's an increase of roughly five million compared to 2023 data, and the third consecutive year that Obamacare enrollments have broken previous records. Advocates are blasting former President Donald Trump's repeated calls to abolish the act as both counterproductive for working-class Americans and lacking political savvy.

"At a time when more Americans are enrolling in the ACA than ever before, it is outlandish that the likely GOP nominee is even considering another attempt at repeal," Brad Woodhouse, who is executive director of the progressive nonprofit Protect Our Care, told the Post.

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One of the more popular elements of the ACA is its expansion of state-funded Medicaid programs, allowing more middle-class Americans to obtain subsidies to buy health insurance based on their income level. During the Covid-19 pandemic, roughly 95 million Americans used Medicaid due to federal protections that kept Americans from losing their health coverage.

Obamacare is popular even with Republicans, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). In a December survey, the KFF found that roughly three in five voters — including one in five Republicans — actually trust Democrats more than Republicans with the future of the ACA.

The former president has assailed his Democratic predecessor's chief legislative accomplishment numerous times on his Truth Social, saying the legislation "SUCKS" and vowing to "REPLACE IT with MUCH BETTER HEALTHCARE." He has so far not yet specified what he would replace it with.

In his first year as president, Trump attempted to fulfill a campaign promise to repeal the ACA, as he had Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress. However, the GOP's anti-Obamacare efforts were stymied by the late Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), who flew back to Washington after undergoing surgery to cast the deciding vote to kill the repeal legislation. His famous thumbs-down gesture spawned a viral WWE-style meme.

READ MORE: Obamacare popularity near all-time high despite Trump's calls for repeal