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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/05/trump-pro-nhs-marches-universal-healthcare-farage-fox-friends
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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Trump claims pro-NHS marches show universal healthcare doesn't work | Trump claims pro-NHS marches show universal healthcare doesn't work |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Thousands protested in London on Saturday in support of NHS | Thousands protested in London on Saturday in support of NHS |
| Farage says on Fox and Friends immigration is breaking system | Farage says on Fox and Friends immigration is breaking system |
| Martin Pengelly | Martin Pengelly |
| Mon 5 Feb 2018 14.18 GMT | |
| First published on Mon 5 Feb 2018 13.10 GMT | |
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| Donald Trump pointed to protests in Britain over the future of the National Health Service in a Monday morning tweet, claiming them as proof that Democratic support for universal healthcare in the US would produce “really bad and non-personal medical care”. | Donald Trump pointed to protests in Britain over the future of the National Health Service in a Monday morning tweet, claiming them as proof that Democratic support for universal healthcare in the US would produce “really bad and non-personal medical care”. |
| Observers were quick to point out that protests recently staged in Britain have in fact been in support of the NHS, and against any move to US-style privatised healthcare. | Observers were quick to point out that protests recently staged in Britain have in fact been in support of the NHS, and against any move to US-style privatised healthcare. |
| “The Democrats are pushing for Universal HealthCare while thousands of people are marching in the UK because their U system is going broke and not working,” the president wrote. | “The Democrats are pushing for Universal HealthCare while thousands of people are marching in the UK because their U system is going broke and not working,” the president wrote. |
| “Dems want to greatly raise taxes for really bad and non-personal medical care. No thanks!” | “Dems want to greatly raise taxes for really bad and non-personal medical care. No thanks!” |
| Thousands marched in London on Saturday, under the title “NHS in crisis: Fix it now”. Placards carried by protesters carried messages such as “more staff, more beds, more funds” and “Saving lives costs money, saving money costs lives”. | Thousands marched in London on Saturday, under the title “NHS in crisis: Fix it now”. Placards carried by protesters carried messages such as “more staff, more beds, more funds” and “Saving lives costs money, saving money costs lives”. |
| The protesters chanted: “Keep your hands off our NHS.” | The protesters chanted: “Keep your hands off our NHS.” |
| The Conservative health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, tweeted in response to Trump on Monday, saying that while he “may disagree with claims made on that march … not ONE of them wants to live in a system where 28m people have no cover. | |
| Hunt added: “NHS may have challenges but I’m proud to be from the country that invented universal coverage - where all get care no matter the size of their bank balance.” | |
| Shortly after his tweet about healthcare, Trump returned to a familiar theme: praising Fox News. | Shortly after his tweet about healthcare, Trump returned to a familiar theme: praising Fox News. |
| “Thank you to @foxandfriends for exposing the truth,” he wrote. “Perhaps that’s why your ratings are soooo much better than your untruthful competition!” | “Thank you to @foxandfriends for exposing the truth,” he wrote. “Perhaps that’s why your ratings are soooo much better than your untruthful competition!” |
| Nigel Farage, former leader of the UK Independence Party and a steadfast Trump ally, had just discussed the pro-NHS marches on the morning show. Asked why people were protesting, Farage claimed pressure on the NHS was caused by a Trump bugbear: immigration. | |
| “Well the big problem we’ve got is a population crisis caused by government policy on immigration,” Farage said. | “Well the big problem we’ve got is a population crisis caused by government policy on immigration,” Farage said. |
| “We have a population of 65 million but it’s increasing by half a million people a year. We just haven’t got enough hospitals, we haven’t got enough doctors, we haven’t got enough facilities.” | “We have a population of 65 million but it’s increasing by half a million people a year. We just haven’t got enough hospitals, we haven’t got enough doctors, we haven’t got enough facilities.” |
| Farage also claimed “the National Health Service has turned into the International Health Service” and said “we’re providing a lot of healthcare for people coming into Britain from all over the world”. | Farage also claimed “the National Health Service has turned into the International Health Service” and said “we’re providing a lot of healthcare for people coming into Britain from all over the world”. |
| The future of the NHS was a key part of the 2016 campaign by Farage and others that led to a vote for Britain’s departure from the European Union. | |
| A pro-Brexit claim that Britain paid the EU £350m a week, money which would be better used to fund the NHS, remains a source of fierce political controversy. | |
| Discussing the possibility of universal healthcare in the US, Farage perhaps inadvertently pointed to growing American support for it when he said: “If you were to introduce universal healthcare, paid for centrally under taxes, you would never ever be able to remove it.” | |
| Republican attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Obama-era legislation which expanded access to health insurance, failed in Congress last year. | Republican attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Obama-era legislation which expanded access to health insurance, failed in Congress last year. |
| The Republican tax cut which was passed in December included a repeal of the ACA’s individual mandate, a move which led Trump to claim – erroneously – that he had “essentially repealed Obamacare”. | |
| Polling has recorded increased support for single-payer, government-run healthcare in the US, although it remains a contentious issue largely opposed by Republicans and supported by Democrats. | Polling has recorded increased support for single-payer, government-run healthcare in the US, although it remains a contentious issue largely opposed by Republicans and supported by Democrats. |
| The Vermont independent senator Bernie Sanders made the issue a key part of his run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. | The Vermont independent senator Bernie Sanders made the issue a key part of his run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. |
| Trump administration | Trump administration |
| Donald Trump | Donald Trump |
| US healthcare | US healthcare |
| NHS | NHS |
| Health | Health |
| US politics | US politics |
| news | news |
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