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U.S. NEWS Friday 5 May 2017
Trump makes return to NYC fresh off health vote win

DARLENE SUPERVILLE fate in the Senate.
JONATHAN LEMIRE Trump said he was “so con-
Associated Press fident” that the measure
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald would pass the Senate and
Trump turned his first trip vowed that premiums and
home as president into a deductibles would come
victory lap on Thursday, re- down.
turning to the city that has “People are suffering so
largely opposed him while badly with the ravages of
celebrating House pas- Obamacare,” Trump said.
sage of legislation undo- At one point the president
ing much his predecessor’s turned to the representa-
health law. tives lined up behind him
Trump only received 18 and, suggesting the victory
percent of the vote in New was especially impressive
York in November’s presi- for a novice politician, ex-
dential election. Multiple claimed: “Hey, I’m presi-
modest protests were held dent! I’m president! Can
across the city during his you believe it?!”
visit, some visible from the House leaders came
presidential motorcade as through with the votes to
it roared past Wall Street give Trump a major politi-
and Manhattan’s famed cal win more than a month President Donald Trump talks with House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., in the Rose Garden of the
skyscrapers. after Republicans’ first at- White House in Washington, Thursday, May 4, 2017, after the House pushed through a health care
His visit was shorter than first tempt to pass a health bill. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of La. is at left, and House Ways and Means Committee
expected so that he could care bill went down in a Chairman Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas is at right. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
commemorate the House humiliating defeat.
vote with a Rose Garden Known as the American
news conference, the Healthcare Act, the bill has
White House eager for the yet to receive a price tag
appearance of a victory from the nonpartisan Con-
after an uneven first 100 gressional Budget Office
days in office. Slated to be and is opposed by a num-
in Manhattan only a few ber of physician and health
hours, Trump was not ex- care groups, including the
pected to visit his home at American Medical Asso-
Trump Tower and pushed ciation, amid concerns it
back his first-time meeting could strip millions of Ameri-
with Australian Prime Min- cans of their coverage, in-
ister Malcolm Turnbull by cluding those with pre-ex-
several hours. isting medical conditions.
The leaders were still slat- Trump and Turnbull were
ed to speak aboard the expected to discuss North
USS Intrepid, a decommis- Korea’s missile testing and
sioned aircraft carrier, to security and economic is-
commemorate the 75th sues, as well as Turnbull’s
anniversary of a World War deal with Obama for the
II battle that reinforced the United States to resettle
ties between the U.S. and up to 1,250 mostly Mus-
Australia. Both countries’ lim refugees from Africa,
warships and fighter planes the Mideast and Asia who
engaged the Japanese are housed in immigration
from May 4-8, 1942, forcing camps on the Pacific is-
the Japanese navy to re- land nations of Nauru and
treat for the first time in the Papua New Guinea.
war. The agreement was a
His triumphant appear- source of friction when
ance aboard the World Trump and Turnbull spoke
War II carrier was sched- by telephone shortly after
uled just hours after jubilant Trump took office Jan. 20.
Republicans bused in from The conversation made
Capitol Hill to the White headlines, and Trump later
House for the victory lap, tweeted about the “dumb
an unusually early celebra- deal.”
tion for the passage of a But Vice President Mike
bill through just one house Pence assured Turnbull
of Congress. The legisla- during a visit to Australia
tion, which was met with last month that the Trump
sharp Democratic opposi- administration will honor
tion, squeaked through the the deal, but “that doesn’t
House by a vote of 217-213 mean we admire the
and faces an uncertain agreement.”q