The White House went into full damage control mode on Saturday as Donald Trump tried to draw a line under his humiliating setback on healthcare, casting blame on Democratic opponents and promising to let Obamacare “explode” under its own weight.

Critics say his eleventh hour decision to withdraw a bill to repeal Obamacare shows his fragile position at the head of a divided party and casts doubt on his credentials as a negotiator.

Mr Trump immediately signaled he planned to move on to tax reform instead, but with a key policy in tatters he will still have to work out how to bridge faultlines among Republicans.

He took to Twitter on Saturday morning in an attempt to claim the disarray would not get in the way of demolishing Obamacare.