Trump Takes Victory Lap, Praising ‘Really Incredible Health Care Plan’

USA Today: Trump Claims Victory On Repealing Obamacare, But He Still Has A Long Way To Go
President Trump took a televised victory lap Thursday after the House voted to pass a bill that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act – an unusual Rose Garden ceremony considering that final victory remains miles away. "What a great group of people," Trump said, surrounded by some four dozen House Republicans gathered at the White House. "It's going to be an unbelievable victory... when we get it through the Senate." (Jackson, 5/4)

ABC News: Trump Says Obamacare 'Dead' After GOP Health Bill Passes House
[Trump] congratulated and thanked House Speaker Paul Ryan and praised House Republicans for coming together. "What we have is something very, very incredibly well-crafted," Trump said of the bill. "This has really brought the Republican Party together," Trump added. "As much as we've come up with a really incredible health care plan, this has brought the Republican Party together. We're going to get this finished." (Siegel and Stracqualursi, 5/4)

The Associated Press: Trump Celebrates Hill Victory, Relishes Visit To Hometown
President Donald Trump had already planned a celebration as he returned to his hometown for the first time since his inauguration. House Republicans gave him another reason to enjoy the moment. Trump flew to New York to join Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull aboard the USS Intrepid to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea. Before he left the White House on Thursday, however, he hosted a Rose Garden event to applaud passage of the GOP-sponsored House health care law. (5/5)

The Associated Press: Last-Minute Bargaining Keyed Passage Of GOP Health Care Bill
Trump pumped his fist as he arrived to cheers, declaring that his first step in repealing and replacing the "Obamacare" law that he had campaigned against had "brought the Republican Party together. We're going to get this finished. "Rose Garden ceremonies are normally reserved for major bill signings and big presidential moments, but Trump wanted to project an image of success — even on a bill that passed the Republican-led House with only a vote to spare. (5/5)

The Washington Post: Trump Crows About His Health-Care Victory — Even Though He Hasn’t Really Won Yet
President Trump clapped and pointed. He grinned and nodded. He mouthed praise and boomed exultations. He even, at one point, turned his back to the lectern to face the House Republican leadership, tossing his arms wide in open embrace before swooping his index fingers above the crowd — as if conducting a symphony of recalcitrant lawmakers who had finally, haltingly, learned how to harmonize. (Parker, 5/4)

Politico: Trump Savors Health Care Win: ‘Hey, I’m President’
“How am I doing? Am I doing OK? I'm president. Hey, I’m president,” Trump said in a Rose Garden victory lap that was unusually elaborate for a bill still so far from becoming law. “Can you believe it?” (Goldmacher, 5/4)

Politico: Trump: I’m ‘So Confident’ Health Care Bill Will Pass The Senate
“We’re gonna get this passed through the Senate,” Trump said. “I feel so confident.” (McCaskill, 5/4)

The Washington Post: Trump Praises Australia’s Universal Health-Care System: ‘You Have Better Health Care Than We Do’
Seconds after praising his party's efforts to pass a new health-care bill that estimates said would leave millions uninsured, President Trump praised Australia's government-funded universal heath-care system. “We have a failing health care — I shouldn't say this to our great gentleman and my friend from Australia, because you have better health care than we do,” a tuxedo-clad Trump said at a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Manhattan on Thursday. (Phillip, 5/4)

The Hill: Trump: GOP Healthcare Bill 'Could Change A Little Bit' 
President Trump admitted Thursday the House Republican healthcare bill could “change a little bit” as it goes to the Senate for a vote. "It could change a little bit,” Trump said, according to White House pool reports. “It could be maybe even better. It's a very good bill right now.” Trump argued that the GOP bill, dubbed the American Health Care Act, will be more affordable than ObamaCare. (Beavers, 5/4)

The Hill: Trump: Australia Has Better Healthcare System Than US
President Trump remarked Thursday that Australia has a better healthcare system than the U.S. Trump's comments in a meeting with the Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull came shortly after the commander in chief praised the GOP healthcare bill passed in the House earlier in the day. (Vladimirov, 5/4)

Politico: 'The White House Just Couldn't Let This Go'
Donald Trump had had it.The Obamacare repeal bill that the president had just boasted was on the cusp of passage was suddenly in trouble again, and the president demanded to talk to the influential congressman who dropped a bombshell hours earlier with an announcement he’d be voting “no”: Michigan Rep. Fred Upton. (Bade and Dawsey, 5/5)