Despite a setback to President Donald Trump’s megabill Thursday morning, the president held an event in the East Room of the White House to rally Republicans behind his tax legislation.
“We’re cutting $1.7 trillion in this bill, and you’re not going to feel any of it. And your Medicaid is left alone. It’s left the same. Your Medicare and your Social Security are strengthened,” Trump said during his remarks, arguing that the Democrats will be “cutting your Medicare, Medicaid in half.”
“Almost every major promise made in the 2024 campaign already will have become a promise kept. That’s very important,” Trump said.
“So we’re going to do a real job, so important. So if you can call your senators, call your congressmen, we have to get the vote,” he urged.
One notable moment came when Trump said he signed a trade deal with China on Wednesday, though he provided no details on the deal. Asked to clarify Trump’s comments, a White House official told ABC News that the administration and China agreed to an additional understanding for a framework to implement the agreement they made in Geneva in May.
The president also teased a trade deal in the works with India.
“We have one coming up, maybe with India. Very big one,” he said. “Well, we’re going to open up India. In the China deal, we’re starting to open up China, things that never really could have happened. And the relationship with every country has been very good,” he added.
The event came hours after the Senate parliamentarian rejected key Medicaid provisions in the bill — a major blow to Senate Republicans and their plan to slash costs in the budget package.
Among the special guests at the event were delivery drivers, a barber from Arkansas, law enforcement officers and Border Patrol agents, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Earlier Thursday during a press briefing, Leavitt said the purpose of the event was to “show the American people how this bill works for them and how there are provisions in this bill that will change their lives.”
Negotiations are underway in the Senate on the House-passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” with some fiscal hawks pushing for additional changes.
When asked if there is enough time for Congress to work through the issues that come up with the parliamentarian’s ruling, the White House remained adamant that the president expects to sign it next week on Independence Day.
“We expect that bill to be on the president’s desk for signature by July Fourth. I know that there was a ruling by the Senate parliamentarian this morning. Look, this is part of the process. This is part of the inner workings of the United States Senate. But the president is adamant about seeing this bill on his desk here at the White House by Independence Day,” she said.
“We hope so,” Trump said as he left the event when asked if Congress can get the bill passed by his July Fourth deadline.
Frustrated Republican senators balked at the parliamentarian’s ruling — with some seeking to rework the language in order to get it passed.
When asked what the president is doing to push his legislation across the finish line, Leavitt indicated that he’s hosting meetings at the White House.