GOP leadership withdraws legislation to replace Bill amid rebellion among party lawmakers

President Donald Trump faced the biggest blow yet to his young presidency as his bid to repeal Obamacare went down in flames at the hands of rebel Republican lawmakers.

Barely two months into his term, Mr. Trump was forced to withdraw an embattled Republican health care bill on Friday, moments before a vote, leaving his campaign pledge to dismantle his predecessor’s health care reforms unfulfilled.

Limits of power

The defeat showed the limits of Mr. Trump’s power to deliver on an ambitious legislative agenda despite Republican control of both houses of Congress. “Trump will have a very hard time dealing with these divides because he does not understand them,” said John Pitney, a professor of American politics at Claremont-McKenna College.

On Mr. Trump’s agenda are a major overhaul of the tax system and a bill to upgrade infrastructure like roads and bridges. “We were very, very close” to securing enough support for the bill, Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office. But with no Democratic backing, “we couldn’t quite get there.”

Mr. Trump had thrown his full political weight behind the measure, spending days arm-twisting recalcitrant Republicans, and he declared himself “disappointed” by the defeat. The battle was an eye-opening experience for Mr. Trump, a billionaire real estate tycoon who entered the White House with no experience in politics.

The bill’s defeat marked a second major policy setback for the new President, who has seen his attempt to curb travel from Muslim-majority countries twice frozen by the courts.

Instead of projecting humility, Mr. Trump went on the offensive on Friday, branding Democrats as the real “losers” of the failed repeal bid because “now they own Obamacare. They own it, 100 per cent”.

The President met with House Speaker Paul Ryan earlier in the day, then spoke with him by telephone when it was clear the party did not have the votes to get its plan across the finish line. “I told him that the best thing I think to do is to pull this bill and he agreed with that decision,” Mr. Ryan said.

But while Mr. Trump was quick to blame Democrats for not giving “a single vote” for his plan, Mr. Ryan owned up to the failures. ”I will not sugar coat this. This is a disappointing day for us,” said the top Republican in Congress.