Kathrine Frich
“I know you like to put your name on stuff.” Abdul El-Sayed baited the president.
Passing major laws in Washington usually requires months of bitter arguments and behind-the-scenes bargaining.
Politicians often guard the credit for big bills as fiercely as the policies themselves.
Yet one newly elected lawmaker thinks a simple branding deal could break a decades-long deadlock.
Pitching ‘Trumpcare’ live
During a Tuesday appearance on CNN, Michigan Democratic Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed made a direct appeal to President Donald Trump, according to HuffPost reporter Ed Mazza.
While pushing for a national Medicare-for-all system, the incoming senator aimed straight at the president’s famous love for personal branding.
“Donald, if you’re watching, we can put your name on it,” El-Sayed said on the broadcast. “I know you like to put your name on stuff. You can finally meet the unmet promise in America to guarantee everybody healthcare. So, it’s on the table if you want to do it.”
When CNN host Kaitlan Collins asked if the pitch was genuine, the Michigan Democrat doubled down. “I’m absolutely serious,” he told her, adding, “I don’t care what it’s called. I want people to have healthcare in this country.”
Zero medical debt
El-Sayed floated the same idea last week while speaking with Zeteo journalist Mehdi Hasan, HuffPost reported.
His goal is a lifelong medical plan that covers every American from birth to death while wiping out premiums, deductibles, copays, and the threat of medical debt. “I think that would be a win,” he said on CNN. “So if he wants to call it Trumpcare, I’m game.”
For ten years, Trump has promised to scrap the Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare. That effort nearly passed in 2017 before the late Arizona Republican Senator John McCain voted it down.
Although the president has long promised his own replacement, HuffPost noted he has never shared full details, offering only the “concepts of a plan” during the 2024 race and a brief outline called the “Great Healthcare Plan” more recently.
After last week’s midterm wins gave Democrats new momentum, El-Sayed told CNN he is ready to act on an issue he said he has worked on for his “entire career.” He urged lawmakers to answer the voters’ message and “finally, once and for all, solve the challenge of American healthcare in this country.”
