Donald Trump looks to House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., and other House congressmen in the Rose Garden after the House pushed through a health care bill.

By Jabin Botsford/Getty images.

Last month, after weeks of browbeating and cajoling wary lawmakers, Donald Trump threw a party on the White House lawn to celebrate the passage of the American Health Care Act through the House. A brass band was on hand for the Rose Garden ceremony as dozens of Republicans lined up behind the president to take turns praising each other for crafting a bill that would slash subsidies for the sick and elderly and was estimated to cover 24 million fewer people. More than a dozen politically vulnerable congressmen in swing districts ultimately changed their votes and went out on a limb for the president, who was then eager to score a legislative win in the wake of his 100th day in office. But now, as Senate Republicans deliberate in secret as they race to hold a vote ahead of their July 4 recess, Trump appears to be having second thoughts about the G.O.P. health-care plan, which is supported by just 24 percent of voters.

In a lunch meeting with more than a dozen Republican senators at the White House on Tuesday, Trump started off with praise. I really appreciate what youre doing to come out with a bill thats going to be a phenomenal bill for the people of our country: generous, kind, with heart, he said, according to The New York Times. He then went on to suggest that the Senate should actually put additional money into the House plan, which he described as mean. CNNs Jim Acosta reported that the president went on to call the legislation cold-hearted and a son of a bitch.

While it is unclear what aspects of the repeal bill the president was specifically referring to, his private comments mark a sharp departure from his public approval last month. At the time of the health-care bills slim 217-213 passage in the House, Trump seemed blissfully unaware of what was in the bill or the potential impact it could have on his own supporters, reportedly viewing the vote primarily as the fulfillment of his campaign promise to dismantle Obamacare. But the fierce backlash to its passage, as well as the Congressional Budget Offices estimate that the G.O.P. plan would cover 24 million fewer people than current law, reportedly changed his view. Politico reports the president has told associates that the coverage of the bill was terrible and wants the Senate to pass a bill that will be better-received by the public.

Humoring the president is presumably not a top priority for Republicans, who already have their hands full. The Senate G.O.P. has been locked in back-room negotiations for weeks over the Republican bill, which they began rewriting immediately after receiving it from the House. I dont know how we get to 50 [votes] at the moment, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell conceded last month. It was only in the last few days that Republican senators began putting the finishing touches on their version of the bill, which they have so far refused to make public (We arent stupid, one aide recently said, by way of explanation). And they dont appear particularly amenable to starting over just because Donald Trump, who has admitted that health-care policy is much more complicated than he originally assumed, is expressing doubts. The Times reports that senators are growing increasingly indifferent to Mr. Trumps policy interests and did not seem moved by his entreaties.

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Trump Throws His Own Health-Care Plan Under the Bus - Vanity Fair