Even Bernie Sanders knows when it’s time to just have a good laugh at life’s ridiculous moments.
The independent Vermont senator is a fierce critic of the Republican plan to replace key components of the Affordable Care Act with their own healthcare legislation, which passed the House on Thursday in a narrow 217-213 vote. Instead, Sanders believes in providing universal healthcare—which is the exact opposite of the GOP’s American Healthcare Act (AHCA), which gives states the ability to mix and match rules for health insurers as they like, creating a patchwork system across the U.S.
So, it was no surprise when Sanders, appearing on MSNBC’s All in With Chris Hayes last night, burst out laughing when President Donald Trump—the leading champion of the AHCA—said this during his meeting on Thursday with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Trump: Australia has better health care than U.S. (they have universal health care)
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) May 5, 2017
Watch the reaction from @BernieSanders to @chrislhayes pic.twitter.com/zYF8NsGKF0
“Thank you, Mr. President. Let us move to a Medicare-for-all system that does what every other major country on Earth does—guarantee healthcare to all at a fraction of the cost per capita than we spend,” Sanders said, reveling in the absurdity. “Thank you, Mr. President, we’ll quote you on the floor of the Senate.”
Although Republicans are literally partying in celebration of passing the AHCA through the House, many Democrats are just as pleased. They see the legislation not as a defeat but as a weapon to use against GOP lawmakers in the 2018 midterm elections.
How this will all shake out remains to be seen. But if the Republican plan is as unpopular as the Democrats bet that it is, Sanders may very well have the last laugh.