Trump open to keeping 'amended' version of Obamacare: WSJ

November 12, 2016

Washington, Nov 12: Donald Trump has indicated that he will consider retaining an "amended" version of the Affordable Care Act, a marked shift in stance on his major campaign promise of repealing President Barack Obama's flagship healthcare law.

The President-elect made the apparent U-turn after his meeting with Obama at the White House this week, according to the Wall Street Journal. In an interview with the newspaper, Trump said his priority is to move "quickly" on Obamacare, which has become "expensive and unworkable".

At the same time, he "showed a willingness to preserve at least two provisions" of the law after the outgoing president Barack Obama asked him to reconsider repealing it during their meeting at the White House on Thursday, the daily said.

"Either Obamacare will be amended, or repealed and replaced," Trump said. "I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that."

According to the Journal, Trump said he favours retaining a key part of Obamacare that stops insurers from refusing to cover people because they have existing conditions, as well as a provision that allows parents to provide years of additional coverage for children on their insurance policies. "I like those very much."

Trump also appeared to be committed on his promises of bringing jobs back through improved international trade deals and massive infrastructure investment, besides focusing on defeating ISIS.

"I want a country that loves each other. I want to stress that," Trump said in his first interview after winning the November 8 presidential elections, in which he defeated Hillary Clinton after mounting one of the most divisive campaigns in recent memory.

Trump said he would create jobs through nationwide infrastructure projects and improved international trade deals.

He also said he would preserve American jobs by potentially imposing tariffs on products of US companies that relocate overseas, thereby reducing the incentive to move plants abroad, the Journal reported.

Trump so far has spoken to several world leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is yet to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump said he got a "beautiful" letter from Putin.

On Syria, he said his main focus would be defeating ISIS rather than removing its current president Bashar al-Assad.

"My attitude was you're fighting Syria, Syria is fighting ISIS, and you have to get rid of ISIS. Russia is now totally aligned with Syria, and now you have Iran, which is becoming powerful, because of us, is aligned with Syria...Now we're backing rebels against Syria, and we have no idea who these people are," Trump said.

If the US attacks Assad, Trump said, "we end up fighting Russia, fighting Syria."

On the Israel-Palestine conflict, Trump said hopes to craft a deal. "That's the ultimate deal. As a deal maker, I'd like to do the deal that can't be made. And do it for humanity's sake," Trump told the daily.

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In meeting with Zohran Mamdani, Trump repeats claim he stopped India-Pak war

Agencies

November 22,2025

New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump has again claimed to have solved the conflict between India and Pakistan, repeating his assertion during a meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office.

Mamdani flew to Washington DC for his first meeting with Trump in the White House on Friday. Trump said he “enjoyed” the meeting, which he described as “great.”

During remarks in the Oval Office, with Mamdani standing next to him, Trump repeated his claim that he solved the May conflict between India and Pakistan.

"I did eight peace deals of countries, including India and Pakistan,” he said.

On Wednesday, Trump had said he threatened to put 350 per cent tariffs on India and Pakistan if they did not end their conflict, repeating his claim that he solved the fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called him to say “we're not going to go to war.”

Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim over 60 times that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan.

India has consistently denied any third-party intervention. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.

Mamdani emerged victorious in the closely-watched battle for New York City Mayor, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to be elected to sit at the helm of the largest city in the US.

He had been the front-runner in the NYC Mayoral election for months and defeated Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and political heavyweight former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent candidate and was officially endorsed by Trump just hours before the elections.

Indian-descent Mamdani is the son of renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. He was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda and moved to New York City with his family when he was 7. Mamdani became a naturalised US citizen only recently, in 2018.

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