Attuned to the fact that health care represents his first major political test — and knowing that failure on the issue could define his term — Trump wants to spend time with key political stakeholders before he mounts an all-out public campaign for final passage, the officials said.
They also said Trump is willing to negotiate specifics of the legislation and to tear up parts of it if need be, telling aides and congressional leaders that he views the initial bill as malleable.
“He’s certainly open to negotiation,” Paul said in an interview. “He’s genuinely interested in what conservatives have to say, knows there is still room for agreement.”
But Paul wondered whether Trump would remain an avowed advocate for the proposal in the coming weeks. “The leadership is selling him a bill of goods and has mischaracterized to him the amount of opposition,” he said. “The speaker keeps saying the votes are there and the president could end up being annoyed.”
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