Trump Threatens Primary Challenges Against Freedom Caucus Members Over Healthcare Bill Defeat

Six days after the House Republican healthcare bill (the American Health Care Act) was pulled for lack of votes, Trump tweeted on March 30, 2017: 'The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don't get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!' In a follow-up tweet the same day he named three Freedom Caucus members directly, writing, 'If @RepMarkMeadows, @Jim_Jordan and @Raul_Labrador would get on board we would have both great healthcare and massive tax cuts & reform.' The tweets marked Trump's first open threat to back primary challengers against members of his own party over a legislative defeat, rather than directing the threat at opposition-party lawmakers. Freedom Caucus members publicly responded that they would not be pressured into supporting a bill they viewed as an insufficient repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

“The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don't get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!” Quote verified against source