Trump takes aim at Freedom Caucus over defeat of GOP health care plan – USA TODAY

House Speaker Paul Ryan cancelled the vote on the GOP's health care bill that would've replaced Obamacare, saying he could not get enough votes to support it. USA TODAY

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C.(Photo: MICHAEL REYNOLDS, EPA)

WASHINGTON Despite calling Freedom Caucus members friends last week, President Trump seemed to take aim Sunday at the Republican hard-line conservatives and blame them in part for the collapse of the partys health care repeal plan.

Democrats are smiling in D.C. that the Freedom Caucus, with the help of Club For Growth and Heritage, have saved Planned Parenthood & Ocare! Trump tweeted early Sunday.

The tweet came on the heels of a major blow for Republicans when leaders pulled Friday theirplan to replace and repeal the Affordable Care Act, because they didn't have enough GOP support to pass the measure.Several moderate Republicans andmembers of the Freedom Caucus vowednot to support it.All the Democrats were expected to vote against it.

Freedom Caucus members defended their positions, saying the plan pushed by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., cost too much and didn't do enough to repeal the law.Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman ofthe caucus, didn't directly challenge's Trump charge, but said it's "incumbent upon''moderates and conservatives tocome together.

"I can tell you as I've looked at all of this, I said, could I have spent a little bit more time, should I have spent more time with the Tuesday Group, more time with Democrats to find some consensus,'' Meadows, R-N.C., said on ABCs This Week."As we look at this today, this is not the end of the debate."

The Tuesday Group consists of more moderate House Republicans.

Trump said Friday he was surprisedthere wasnt moresupport from the FreedomCaucus, but he didnt blame themfordeciding not to vote on the bill.

Im disappointed, but theyre friends of mine, he said then. Its a very hard time for them and very hard vote. But theyre very good people."

Democrats were quick to jump on the defeat. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called it "a victory for all Americans."

Meadows said Democrats shouldn't consider the fight over.

If they're applauding, they shouldn't, because I can tell you that conversations over the last 48 hours are really about how we come together in the Republican conference and try to get this over the finish line," he said.

Senate Minority Leader ChuckSchumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats are willing to work with Republicans on an effort to improve the ACA.

We have ideas. They have ideas, to try to improve Obamacare, Schumer said on This Week.We never said it was perfect. We always said we'd work with them to improve it. We just said repeal was off the table.

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Trump's anti-Freedom Caucus tweet followed another Twitter burst on Saturday morning, in which he urged his Twitter followers to watch the Saturday night show of Jeanine Pirro, a Fox television show host and former prosecutor.

Pirro opened the show by calling on Ryan to step down as speaker, becausehe failed to delivered the votes on the GOP health care plan the one he had seven years to work on.

This is not on President Trump, Pirro said.

Trump's sweet about Pirro and her call to oust Ryan were "coincidental,' saidReince Priebus, the White House chief of staff and a close Ryan ally.

There was no preplanning here, he said on Fox News Sunday.

Priebus said Trump spoke to Ryan Saturday and doesnt want him to step down.

He doesnt blame Paul Ryan, he said. In fact, he thought Paul Ryan worked really hard. He enjoyed his relationship with Paul Ryan. Thinks that Paul Ryan is a great speaker of the House. None of that has changed.

Priebusalso shot down reports that Trump blames him. Im not in any trouble, he said.

Mick Mulvaney,director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said on NBC's Meet the Pressthathe hasn't heard Trump blame Ryan.

The folks who voted no are the folks to blame,'' said Mulvaney, a former member of the Freedom Caucus.

Trump praised Ryan Friday for his efforts to pass thebill. Heblamed Democrats for thedefeat saying they will be held responsible for problems withthe AffordableCare Act."They own it; 100% own it," Trump said.

Trump, Ryan and other Republican leaders worked for days to sway their colleagues, inviting them to the White House and meeting with them behind-closed door in the Capitol.

The irony is that the Freedom Caucus, which is very pro-life and against Planned Parenthood, allows P.P. to continue if they stop this plan!, Trump tweeted last week.

Contributing: Erin Kelly

Follow Deborah Barfield Berry at @dberrygannett.com

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Trump takes aim at Freedom Caucus over defeat of GOP health care plan - USA TODAY