President Donald Trump blamed the new momentum among Democrats to push for a single-payer health care system on one man – John McCain – saying the Arizona Senator caused a split in the Republican party's resolve to repeal the Affordable Care Act when he voted against a plan to repeal parts of the health care law.

"We had a surprise from John McCain, and we had the vote and then John McCain came out of nowhere," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday as he returned to Washington from Florida.

"It was a very unpleasant surprise, and now what are we looking at? We have people now talking about single-payer, and that's what we get," he continued. "So the Republicans have to stick together better. They had the votes and then John McCain changed his mind, pure and simple."

Trump then drew a line between the Republicans' inability to pass legislation on one of their top priorities to the fact that he has been negotiating with top Democrats on big ticket issues such as government spending, the debt ceiling and immigration.

"If the Republicans don't stick together then I'm going to have to do more and more," he said. "And by the way, the Republican Party agrees with me. The people out there definitely agree with me. If they're unable to stick together then I'm going to have to get a little help from the Democrats and I've got that, I'll tell you."

Trump also said the proposal from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to all but do away with private health insurance would be a scourge to the nation.

"Bernie Sanders is pushing hard for a single payer healthcare plan - a curse on the U.S. & its people," Trump tweeted Thursday afternoon.

He said that the GOP's failure to repeal the health care law left an opening for Democrats to charge left .

"I told Republicans to approve healthcare fast or this would happen," he said . "But don't worry, I will veto because I love our country & its people."