GOP Pushes Health Talk While Trump Claims Arctic Win
Republicans are talking up healthcare on the campaign trail even though polls show voters trust Democrats way more on the issue. A recent NBC News survey found a 22-point gap favoring Democrats. Another poll from the New York Times and Siena College put that lead at 24 points. Still, GOP candidates are running ads attacking insurance and drug companies. They know they probably won't win on healthcare. The goal is just to shrink the Democrat advantage enough to stay competitive.
In Michigan, Senate hopeful Mike Rogers points out prescription drugs cost way less in Canada. He's running against Abdul El-Sayed, who supports Medicare for All. Over in New Jersey, Representative Tom Kean Jr. says families suffer because of big insurance. Even in solid-red Kansas, Senator Roger Marshall brags about standing up to those same companies. Pollster Bill McInturff says Republicans need to close the gap with women voters. Healthcare ranks super high on their priority list. You don't have to win the issue. You just have to show up.
Democrats are firing back hard. They highlight the trillion dollars in Medicaid cuts Republicans passed along party lines. They also note the GOP killed a chunk of Obamacare funding last year. Democrats have led on healthcare in polls since the early 1990s. Their edge hit over 30 points in 2008 before a blue wave. It dropped to just 7 points in 2010 during a red wave. For years, Republicans tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act but never agreed on a replacement. The party wants to cut health spending to pay for tax cuts. That clashes with their new base of working-class voters.
Meanwhile, President Trump says his new deal with Greenland and Denmark is a dream come true. He claims it lets the U.S. build more military bases on the massive Arctic island. It also blocks investment from Russia and China. But the agreement falls short of his old demand that Greenland become U.S. territory. Danish sovereignty stays intact. Greenlanders keep the right to decide their own future. Trump posted on Truth Social that the deal gives America permanent control over security and everything else there.
Analysts aren't so sure. The pact caps years of Trump fixating on the semi-autonomous Danish territory. His past threats to use force scared European allies and handed talking points to the Kremlin. Denmark and Greenland both call it a win for everyone. But experts doubt how much actually changes. The status quo mostly holds. Trump gets to claim a victory. The Arctic chess game continues.