Honestly, I see trumps position on this whole issue as in line with one of the reasons I did not want him to win the nomination of the R party. Thing is, he WILL depart from the conservatives on issues and the question I’ve been asking since 2015 is, how will you feel when Trump is president and you are his political enemy on an issue? It will happen. It may be happening now.
I agree that he is departing from conservatives and I can accept that - in some cases - without throwing him under the bus. I saw and continue to see Trump as an American first and believe that he will do what he thinks is best for America, although I may sometimes disagree, as in the case of AHCA.
I just don’t see the logic in allying with Ryan - one of Trump’s most fervent critics and opponents - and blaming the Freedom Caucus for the failure of AHCA. The AHCA was a poorly-prepared, poorly-coordinated bill that Ryan attempted to ram through the House quickly, a la Nancy Pelosi. Under the circumstances, I don’t think there was ever an honest effort or the time, under Ryan’s timeline, to make any substantive changes to the bill. Ryan obviously told Trump he could get it done and done quickly and saw an opportunity to ensure the continuation of a version of Obamacare into perpetuity. Did Ryan do anything legislatively to oppose its implementation? Ryan never had any intent to pursue Phase II and certainly not Phase III and the Freedom Caucus knew it. While I blame Ryan primarily, Trump’s the chief executive so he has to share the blame.
For the vast majority of his campaign promises (now policies), he is far more likely to find support among the Freedom Caucus than among the GOP or Democratic establishment, which I happen to think are one and the same. To illustrate, some GOP members of the House are already making noises that they don’t support Trump’s proposed border wall and intend to offer an “alternative”. You can bet that Ryan is among them, albeit in the shadows - for now.
Freedom Caucus are not conservatives.