As of Monday night, three senators — including McCain — had voiced opposition to the pending legislation, all but ensuring its defeat. Republicans can only afford to lose two GOP votes if they are to pass the bill without any Democratic support.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) became the latest to announce her intentions to vote against the bill, joining McCain and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
Trump seemed most upset about McCain’s role in sinking what has been a priority for Republican lawmakers for years.
During a radio interview earlier in the day, Trump called McCain’s opposition “a tremendous slap in the face to the Republican Party.”
“You can call it what you want, but that’s the only reason we don’t have it, because of John McCain,” Trump said during a call-in to the “Rick & Bubba Show,” a syndicated radio program based in Alabama that airs across the South.
In a long written statement Friday, McCain said he “cannot in good conscience” vote for the bill written by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), taking issue with the hurried process leaders have used to move the measure ahead.
