Sitting next to the Venezuelan first lady in the Oval Office for a press appearance about the South American country’s humanitarian crisis, Trump launched into a condemnation of Obamacare. | Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images White House Trump vows to have a health plan 'far better than Obamacare'

President Donald Trump on Wednesday pledged to have a plan “far better than Obamacare” should the Supreme Court rule in the White House’s favor and strike down the entire Affordable Care Act.

Sitting next to the Venezuelan first lady in the Oval Office for a press appearance about the South American country’s humanitarian crisis, Trump launched into a condemnation of Obamacare in response to a reporter’s question about health care.


“It's a disaster for our people,” the president said, adding, “If the Supreme Court rules that Obamacare is out, we will have a plan that is far better than Obamacare.”

He did not elaborate on what that plan might look like. He also glossed over the fact that Republicans failed to agree on the contours of a repeal-and-replace plan for two years, despite controlling both chambers of Congress.

The Trump administration announced Monday that it supports a Texas federal court’s ruling to throw out the entire Affordable Care Act, a sudden shift in the Justice Department’s position that alarmed Democrats who vowed to oppose the move.

The president claimed the legal action would “essentially terminate” Obamacare, the subject of fierce and frequent partisan clashes since the massive 2010 health care overhaul’s beginnings. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is now reviewing the lower court’s ruling, but experts anticipate the case will be appealed to the Supreme Court regardless of its outcome.

Trump railed against the cost of premiums and high deductibles of Obamacare, touting the successful GOP — which he dubbed “the party of great health care” — effort to eliminate its individual insurance mandate penalty during his presidency.

“The only difference between now and the other administration is that we are administering Obamacare very well. So we have made it better, but it is still horrible, no good,” Trump said. “It's something that we can't live with in this country.”