AP Photo 45 After Dark: 'Hey, I'm president' edition

President Donald Trump savored the moment declaring at one point, "Hey, I'm president!"

House Republicans took a leap of faith. And House Speaker Paul Ryan notched what is, so far, the biggest win of his House speakership. And now Republicans are, more than seven years after the Affordable Care Act became law, closer than they’ve ever been to repealing the legislation.


The question is: What’s next.

Senate Republicans are skeptical, at best, of the House’s legislation. And many House lawmakers expect the bill to change significantly, POLITICO’s Josh Dawsey reports. One lawmaker called it a “green flag” and a “start.” Others said they were glad to have the repeal portion of the Affordable Care Act underway, even if they don’t particularly like the replacement portion.

Any misgivings, though, didn’t seem to matter in the afterglow of victory. President Trump and House Republicans took an “unusually elaborate” victory lap, POLITICO’s Shane Goldmacher reports, particularly for an effort that is probably, at best, one-third of the way done.

“For three months, he’s endured setbacks on Capitol Hill and in the courts, and overseen a White House gripped by internal drama. The man who said Americans would win so much under his leadership that they’d get tired of it seemed not to be able to win at all — until, suddenly, he did.”

Elsewhere in President Trump’s orbit:

WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS (WE HOPE): European allies are pleading with the White House not abandon the Paris climate deal. But they’re also not sure how best to influence President Trump’s thinking on the issue.

TWITTERVERSARY: Today also marked the eight year anniversary of President Trump’s use of Twitter. His first tweet was to promote an appearance on David Letterman. (Fox News)

NO SEB-ATICAL: Controversial White House aide Sebastian Gorka says, contrary to reports, he will stay at the White House as long as President Trump will have him.

RIYADH POLITIQUE: President Trump is taking a softer approach toward Saudi Arabia than he had originally staked out. After lashing out at the nation’s terror ties, he’s making it a part of his first presidential trip abroad. Trump will also visit the Vatican and Israel on the trip.

GOTHAM ESCAPE: President Trump headed to New York today for the first time since becoming president, a trip that has lots of meaning for the state and New York City. (The New York Times)

A NEW YORK WELCOME: An array of protests, including some near Trump Tower, greeted Trump’s return to New York — where he was scheduled to meet with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a trip pushed back by the health care vote. (Reuters)

CALIFORNIA DREAMING?: Lawmakers in Sacramento voted to move California’s presidential primary up to March. By the time California voted in 2016, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton had already secured their parties’ nominations. (The Associated Press)

STILL GOING: The Senate passed a spending bill that keeps the government funded until September — averting a government shutdown.

And there you have it. You’re caught up on the Trump administration. May the Fourth be with you.