In an appearance on Fox News Channel’s *The Story*, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) dismissed recent claims from Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign that Republicans intend to repeal the Affordable Care Act, referencing his comments caught on video.
Johnson characterized the campaign’s assertions as a desperate move.
“This has become an issue in the past 24 hours,” host Martha MacCallum said, referencing Johnson’s previous remarks where a questioner mentioned "no Obamacare," to which Johnson replied, "no Obamacare." MacCallum continued, "The ACA is so deeply ingrained, we need massive reform to make this work, and we have a lot of ideas on how to do that. Would you like to respond to how you’re portrayed in that ad and what you said two days ago?”
“Yes, Kamala Harris herself claimed this afternoon that I wanted to repeal the ACA,” Johnson responded. “That’s nonsense. That’s not what I said. We have the full tape and transcript of what was said at that event in Pennsylvania. We were discussing the need to continually lower healthcare costs, protect those with preexisting conditions—an important part of the law—and expand access to quality care. Every member of Congress should be dedicated to that. That’s what I was talking about.”
“They’re lying,” he added. “This is typical of a campaign in distress. Kamala Harris is misrepresenting Donald Trump, misrepresenting me, and our positions. Pat Ryan is also distorting Alison’s record. They resort to this because they can’t campaign on their policies or record; instead, they rely on falsehoods. I think people see through that. The American people are very perceptive. I’m optimistic about the election in five days, Martha. I believe Donald Trump will win, we’ll retake the Senate, and expand the House majority, with strong candidates like Alison leading the way.”