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White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham confirmed that Trump was playing golf with Paul as well as White House budget director Mick Mulvaney at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia. It was the President's 14th trip to one of his courses in just over 10 weeks since taking office in January.

Grisham added that health care would be a big focus at discussions during the outing.

After the game was through, Paul told reporters he continued to be "very optimistic" about an agreement on repealing Obamacare, saying a deal was getting "closer and closer" and tweeting out the same.

The golf game with Paul came just more than a week after House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the American Health Care Act, a Trump-backed bill that would repeal and replace major parts of Obamacare, from consideration on the floor of the chamber. Paul was among the most outspoken opponents of the bill, which he derided as "Obamacare lite."

The senator visited members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus to help shore up opposition to the bill. Trump has attacked the Freedom Caucus for its stance, calling out several of its members on Twitter.

In the immediate aftermath of the bill's collapse, Trump said he was moving on from health care until Obamacare "explodes."

But Sunday morning, shortly before Paul was seen joining the presidential motorcade, Trump tweeted that talks to repeal and replace Obamacare were still ongoing.

Separately, in an interview with the Financial Times done Friday and published Sunday, Trump said that, in the end, he didn't want to hold a vote on the first bill. After House Speaker Paul Ryan came to the White House a week ago Friday to inform the President bill the bill did not have the votes to pass, House leadership pulled the legislation.

"I don't like to lose, but that wasn't a definitive day," Trump said. "They are negotiating as we speak. I don't know if you know. They are negotiating right now. There was no reason to take a vote. I said, 'Don't take a vote,' and we will see what happens.

"But, one way or the other, I promised the people great health care," Trump said. "We are going to have great health care in his country. Now, it will be in one form or another. It will be a repeal and replace of Obamacare which is the deal that is being negotiated now. And if we don't get the ... Freedom Caucus there, that would be fine. ... [W]hen you have zero Democrats, zero, you need close to 100% of the Republicans".

For years, as he contemplated a presidential run, Trump criticized President Barack Obama for his golf outings, but in the 10 weeks since taking office, the former real-estate developer and reality TV star has played on his own courses numerous times. Sunday's trip marks the ninth weekend Trump has visited one of his namesake properties as President.

CNN's Dan Merica contributed to this report.

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Trump hits the links with Rand Paul, talks health care, WH says - CNN

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., (left), Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget (center) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus (right) converse after returning to the White House from a round of golf with President Trump at his golf course, Trump National in Virginia on April 2, 2017.(Photo: Pool, Getty Images)

WASHINGTON Sen. Rand Paul was one of the key voices in urging House conservatives to vote against the Republican repeal and replace bill last month. But now the Kentucky senator is trying to convince the president and his Republican colleaguesto take another swing at repeal legislation.

Paul and Trump were partners Sunday at Trumps golf course in Virginia. The pair played against Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney and a businessman from Philadelphia. Theyultimately tied, but the real focus was on trying to figure out how to move forward on health care after the bills dramatic implosion last month.

My impression is that they very much still want to get something done on health care and I think so does everybody, Paul told a group of reporters in his Washington D.C. office Monday.

Now hes offering up a new approach that he thinks could bring the party together.

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Paul said that part of the issue with the House Republican plan to repeal Obamacare was that the different factions of the party couldnt come up with an agreement on how to replace it.

His proposal: Dont replace it.Instead, leave certain aspects in place and vote on a clean partial repeal.

I think the compromise could be keeping some of the underlying things in Obamacare, some small percentage of them in order to placate the people who want that but not affirmatively putting it in the bill and saying conservatives you have to vote for (things youre uncomfortable with), Paul said. Conservatives want 100 percent repeal, lets say moderates want 80 percentrepeal. Lets vote for 90 percentrepeal and be done with it.

Its a difference for conservatives of whether theyre voting for something new, replacement plan, versus leaving in place something that theyre not really for, Paul said.

Conservatives want 100 percent repeal, lets say moderates want 80 percent repeal. Lets vote for 90 percent repeal and be done with it.

Paul also hopes moderates will feel more comfortable voting for a repeal if they know that certain safety nets will be left in place under Obamacare.

Paul said he talked about his plan quite a bit at the golf course, but so far the White House isnt biting.

I think where they are is still trying to make it work with what they have and getting people to accept with what they have with very small tweaks to the existing bill, Paul said.

If they can get enough votes maybe it goes that way, but Im trying to offer a different way in case were still at impasse, he continued.

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On Monday, Paul met with Rep. Charlie Dent, a moderate Pennsylvania Republican who chairs Tuesday Group, to discuss areas of overlap with the different factions of the party. He said the conversation was very good.

Later Monday, he invited conservatives and members of the House Freedom Caucus a group of the three dozen hardline conservatives in the House critical to sinking the repeal and replace legislation to his office to hear his pitch.

Lawmakers who walked out werent immediately sold but did appreciate Pauls commitment to trying to find a solution.

Rep. Thomas Massie, a conservative who aligns with the Freedom Caucus on some issues but is not a member, attended the meeting and told reporters after that the piece by piece approach is similar to one he proposed last week to his party.

"I think you can chip away at Obamacare piece wise and his suggestion was not unlike not too unlike the suggestion I made to the conference last week," Massie told reporters after the meeting.

But he cautioned that Paul's plan still didn't address the fact that repealing certain regulations and leaving others in place could cause prices to go up.

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Sen. Rand Paul makes new health care pitch to Trump - The Courier-Journal

Drudge Report founder Matt Drudge praised Sen. Rand PaulRand PaulWhite House studying carbon tax and VAT: report Rice denies Obama administration inappropriately unmasked Trump team The Susan Rice smoking gun, and why it matters MORE (R-Ky.) after having lunch at his Capitol Hill office this week.

On Thursday morning, Drudge tweeted, "Intriguing lunch in hill office of America's best senator, Rand Paul. He's bold, brave and has somehow kept his heart in such a corrupt city."

Intriguing lunch in hill office of America's best senator, Rand Paul. He's bold, brave and has somehow kept his heart in such a corrupt city

Last Thursday, amid the struggle to rally enough Republican votes to pass an ObamaCare repeal-and-replace plan, he tweeted, "The swamp drains you," which many saw as a jab at President Trump's campaign pledge to "drain the swamp."

Drudge has previously saidRepublicans should be "sued for fraud" for not prioritizing tax cuts and an ObamaCare repeal.

It's not the first time he's singled Paul out for attention. Earlier this month, the Drudge Report featured a headline touting, "The return of Rand Paul," in what some viewed as a warning to moderate Republicans.

The headline linked to a Washington Examiner story that outlined Paul's problems with the GOP's healthcare bill.

Link:
Drudge praises 'America's best senator' Rand Paul after lunch in ... - The Hill (blog)

President Trump brought Republican Sen. Rand Paul to Trump National Golf Club in Virginia on Sunday to play golf with him, a little more than a week after the party's healthcare bill failed.

"They're discussing a variety of topics, including healthcare," White House deputy press secretary Stephanie Grisham said.

Budget director Mick Mulvaney, a former leading House conservative, also joined the two.

Paul had predicted in early March that the House bill would not pass the Senate. Instead, he proposed his own healthcare bill, though it was not taken up by Congress.

After Paul's comments, Trump took to Twitter to put pressure on the senator to support the healthcare bill.

"I feel sure that my friend @RandPaul will come along with the new and great health care program because he knows Obamacare is a disaster!" Trump wrote at the time.

Trump hinted earlier Sunday on Twitter that there's potential for Republicans to unify around healthcare. His tweet followed a week of attacks on the conservative House Freedom Caucus after the failure of the American Health Care Act.

Original post:
Trump takes Rand Paul on a golf outing to discuss healthcare - Washington Examiner

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April 2, 2017, 2:05 PM EDT April 2, 2017, 5:39 PM EDT

President Donald Trump golfed Sunday with an outspoken Republican opponent of the failed legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare, hours after insisting theres enough love and strength among factions of the party to find a new path forward.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney golfed with the president at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia.

We had a great day with the president. Played some golf and we talked about a little bit of health care, Paul told reporters on the White Houses South Lawn after returning from the outing. I continue to be very optimistic that we are getting closer and closer to an agreement on repealing Obamacare.

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White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham earlier told reporters the threesome planned to discuss a range of topics, including health care, during their round, which took place on a sunny spring day perfect for hitting the links. The match took place just days after Trump blasted conservative lawmakers in the House, saying the Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they dont get on the team, and fast.

House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled a Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill, which had been heavily promoted by Trump and White House aides, in late March after it became clear it faced too much opposition within the party and would be voted down on the House floor. Paul was among those who said it wouldnt have had sufficient support in the Senate either.

Trump said in tweets early Sunday that talks on Repealing and Replacing ObamaCare are, and have been, going on, and will continue until such time as a deal is hopefully struck.

Anybody, especially the media, who thinks that Repeal & Replace of ObamaCare is dead does not know the love and strength in the Republican Party, Trump assured his 27 million Twitter followers.

On March 30, Trump said he was ready to fight the conservative Freedom Caucus, whose opposition helped to doom Ryans bill. Trump and his aides have suggested he could back critics rivals in primaries ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

Trump had called out several conservative Republicans by name, saying they could drag down the partys entire agenda. The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they dont get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018! the president tweeted Thursday.

Trump social media director Dan Scavino on Saturday urged a primary challenge against Representative Justin Amash of Michigan.

Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, said Sunday that tweets, statements and blame from the White House dont change facts and that Ryans legislation fell short of promises Republicans had made to voters about how Obamacare would be ended.

It was better to start over and get this thing done right, Jordan said on CNNs State of the Union. If Amash were to face a primary opponent, Im going to do everything I can to help him, Jordan said.

Paul, 54, a board-certified ophthalmologist before following his father, former Representative Ron Paul, into politics, had a prickly relationship with Trump even before the health-care standoff. Paul was among the crowded 2016 presidential primary field that Trump blitzed on his way to the partys nomination and the White House.

In August 2015, Trump said in a statement that he had easily beat Paul in a golf game and will even more easily beat him now in the presidential campaign.

Golf Digest in November said that Paul plays off a 17 handicap. It estimated that Trump, then the president-elect, had a handicap of 2.8.

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Trump Hits Golf Course With Sen. Rand Paul - Bloomberg