Paul ’emboldened’ by Trump tweeting at him on ObamaCare

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he’s not feeling “isolated” by President Trump’s tweet singling him out for opposing the GOP’s bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

“I don’t feel isolated by this. I actually feel emboldened,” Paul told Politico, responding to Trump’s Tuesday night tweet.

Trump tweeted that he was “sure” Paul would “come along” and support the House GOP leadership’s proposed healthcare measure.

{mosads}”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.

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!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 8, 2017

Paul has called the House GOP’s plan “ObamaCare lite,” vowing to vote “no” once it reaches the Senate floor and to introduce his own legislation that would be a clean repeal of the original healthcare law.

“The compromise that I … have represented to him is to separate the bill into two separate bills,” the senator said in the interview.

The new legislation introduced on Monday by House Republicans would impose a tax credit system to incentivize individuals to purchase insurance. It would also dismantle ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion and eliminate the individual mandate, which required individuals to buy health coverage or pay a fine to the government. 

“Now I’m thinking we’re so far apart. I never believed in my wildest nightmares that we’re going to keep the Obamacare taxes or that we’re going to have a new entitlement program or that we’re going to keep the individual mandate in another form,” said Paul.