President Donald Trump, perhaps realizing the political cudgel he had handed Democrats with the renewed Obamacare attack, tweeted Monday that Republicans would wait to unveil their healthcare plan alternative until “right after the election.”

Everybody agrees that ObamaCare doesn’t work. Premiums & deductibles are far too high – Really bad HealthCare! Even the Dems want to replace it, but with Medicare for all, which would cause 180 million Americans to lose their beloved private health insurance. The Republicans….. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2019

….are developing a really great HealthCare Plan with far lower premiums (cost) & deductibles than ObamaCare. In other words it will be far less expensive & much more usable than ObamaCare. Vote will be taken right after the Election when Republicans hold the Senate & win…… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2019

….back the House. It will be truly great HealthCare that will work for America. Also, Republicans will always support Pre-Existing Conditions. The Republican Party will be known as the Party of Great HealtCare. Meantime, the USA is doing better than ever & is respected again! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2019

The punt could also be a result of Republicans not actually having a plan. Reports surfaced Monday that Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) was pitching in on the effort, which did not seem very far along in its development. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) washed his hands of the issue entirely, clearly unwilling to make a second run at an issue that provided a huge win for the Democrats and humiliation for his caucus last time around.

Democrats have hungrily gobbled up the chance to make yet another election about health care, which plays right into the narratives of many 2020 contenders who are focusing on bread and butter issues.